Drinkers Line Up Exotic Premium Lagers

Consumers are ditching their usual pint in favour of exotic premium lagers, according to SABMiller. The brewing giant reported a 42 per cent increase in sales at its UK subsidiary Miller Brands in the six months to September, driven by Peroni Nastro Azzurro, its Italian brand, Pilsner Urquell from the Czech Republic, and the Polish lagers Tyskie and Lech. The group’s Peruvian brand Cusquena has also seen as upsurge of sales, with growth of 35 per cent as consumers get used to paying more as they try out different brands. “The UK premium lager market is experiencing unprecedented change,” said Alan Clark, managing director of SABMiller. “Some of the country’s most enduring premium beers are seeing declines following a number of years of aggressive expansion.” Lager volumes have been declining in the UK, partly due to social changes which have seen the pub transformed from a place where working men would sink up to ten pints a night into family friendly environments serving fine foods and wine. Tastes have changed and consumers want to try a wider variety of drinks. Rose wine and cider enjoyed a resurgence over the summer but consumers also want to drink brands they have first experienced overseas. To make up for falling lager volumes in the UK, drinks companies are investing in premium brands and buying up international brands to introduce into different markets. Guinness’s owner Diageo has introduced a less bitter variant on the Irish drink called Guinness Red, which it hopes will appeal to women, while many brewers have invested in super-chilled versions of their most popular lagers. Gary Whitlie, the managing director of Miller Brands, said a new space had open-ed at the top of the premium lager market for beers “with distinctive taste profiles, authentic provenance and genuine import status”.

KAREN ATTWOOD

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