Beer consumption rebounds to prepandemic levels

WELLINGTON: Beer drinking patterns are returning to normal but it is not all goldenhued for the industry, Brewers Association of New Zealand executive director Dylan Firth says.

Stats NZ figures show overall beer consumption is back to preCovid19 pandemic levels.

Overall, the sector has experienced big falls in demand since the first Covid19 lockdown in 2020 but latest Stats NZ figures show consumption has risen 7.2% for the first six months of 2022.

Mr Firth said it was a common misconception that people drank more during the pandemic lockdowns.

While there were small spikes as people bought supplies for drinking at home, overall the consumption figures declined during that time.

Now that the hospitality sector has reopened, it has helped beer consumption rise to a normal level again, he said.

‘‘That’s going back up but we are seeing some difficulty for some in the industry. The cost of doing business is still significantly higher, with inflation, excise tax has gone up significantly in this time, [costs for] pallets, transportation.

There had also been a shift during the pandemic in how consumers were drinking their beer with many returning to the mainstream 4% ales that used to be prevalent years ago.

Craft beers, with a few exceptions, have not posted big increases in popularity in the past six months.

‘‘But those premium brands — green bottle beers if you like — are really seeing a big boost . . .’’

The New Zealand brewing industry was worth $2.8 billion last year and employed 6600 people. — RNZ