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Europe: Germany is now top of the European league for beer consumption, while Spain has the continent's fastest growing beer market, according to a survey released on July 21, according to Associated Press. France, which still prefers wine, nevertheless has a taste for high-quality beers, while Italy's growing appreciation for ales of all kinds is expected to see it overtake Spain as the quickest growing market, said the survey by market researchers Mintel.

Mintel, which questioned 35,000 people, found that last year the average German adult drank 255 pints (120 liters) of beer, 35 (16 liters) more than the average British adult. And 17 percent of German adults believe the point of drinking is to get drunk - the highest percentage in Europe - compared to just 8 percent of Britons, the study showed.

"The fact that German adults are seemingly more inclined than the British to drink to get drunk could help ease the British reputation for lavish drinking and an overindulgent pub-culture," said Michelle Strutton, senior consumer analyst at Mintel. "It seems that drinking can be more of a low-key social event in Britain than some may have believed in the past. And although the Germans may not go drinking as often as the British, when they do drink many do want to get drunk."

Last year, the Germans drank almost 10 billion liters (10.5 billion U.S. quarts) of beer, almost twice the 5.8 billion liters (6.13 billion U.S. quarts) drunk in Britain.

However, Britain has the highest percentage of beer drinkers in Europe, with 61 percent of adults - including 82 percent of men - saying they drink it, according to the survey. In particular, lager has been successfully marketed to younger drinkers, it said.

Alcohol-related violence and disorder are a continuing concern in urban England, and Parliament voted last year to end the requirement that pubs shut by 11 p.m. Monday through Saturday and by 10:30 p.m. on Sundays. Supporters hope this will reduce binge drinking in the last minutes before closing time.

The researchers estimated that the beer market in France, Germany, Britain, Italy and Spain was worth around 59 billion euros (US$70 billion) in 2003, with Germany (40 percent) and Britain (39 percent) making up by far the largest shares of market value.

The researchers found that while alcohol consumption in Britain and Germany was falling, Italy was expected to become the fastest growing beer market in Europe, thanks to Italians' growing love for beer of all kinds. "Drinking socially is a relatively new phenomenon in Italy, where alcohol was traditionally an accompaniment to meals," said Strutton. "Italy is now attempting to emulate the successful British market through encouraging people to drink in pubs and bars."

Italians consumed 1.7 billion liters (1.8 billion U.S. quarts) of beer in 2003, almost 9 percent more than in 1998.

Spain, currently the third largest consumer of beer, remains the fastest growing beer market. Consumption topped 3 billion liters (3.1 billion U.S. quarts) for the first time in 2001, having grown by 17 percent since 1998.

France's consumption of standard beers - currently 53 percent of total volumes - is declining and remains second to its love for wine. But sales of premium beers are holding their own, the survey found.

The survey, which was confined to European countries, showed the continent was way ahead even of beer-loving Australia, where industry figures have showed that although beer sales grew by 0.2 percent in the year to Sept. 30, 2003, the average Australian downed an average of 109 liters (115 U.S. quarts) in 2002.

In the United States, beer consumption has grown steadily in recent years, but annual consumption per person in 2002 was still only around 83 liters (87 U.S. quarts), according to industry figures.

No margin of error was given by Mintel, but given the samples of the size used, it is less than three percentage points either way.


23 July, 2004