Beer loses its cheer

AUSTRALIANS hopping away from beer have resulted in the least amount of alcohol being downed in half a century.

New data shows 186 million litres of alcohol was consumed in the 2016-17 financial year – the lowest figure since 1961-62.

The average Australian is now drinking 9.4 litres of alcohol a year, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Over three quarters of the alcohol was either beer (39 per cent) or wine (38 per cent). There was a 3.4 per cent decrease in beer compared to the previous year.