Strong beer re-energises market
We’re drinking more beer – and other drinks, official data suggest.
The total amount of beer on the domestic market last year rose 3.7 per cent, according to Statistics New Zealand.
The increase is in line with an overall increase in alcohol volumes last year.
But Kiwis appear to be getting choosier about the type of beer they’re buying, shunning weaker beer in favour of stronger varieties.
Beer made with less than 2.5 per cent alcohol fell in volume by 3.5 per cent, while the amount of high-strength beer on the market continued to rise.
‘‘The volume has doubled in the last five years, reflecting the growing demand for craft beers,’’ international statistics manager Nicola Growden said.
Beer with an alcohol content above 5 per cent jumped in volume by 17 per cent, following a 38 per cent rise the year before.
Medium-strength beer, containing between 4.35 and 5 per cent, rose 6.4 per cent in volume.
Statistics NZ took pains to point out that the amount of alcohol on the local market was not the same as the amount consumed.
But the picture it portrays suggest that the trend towards falling alcohol consumption is reversing.
Overall domestic alcohol sales volumes rose 4.2 per cent last year, and sales volumes also rose in all categories (beer, wine, and spirits).
That contrasted with flat levels in 2015 and a 2 per cent decline in 2014.
Beer writer Michael Donaldson said craft beer was now close to taking 20 per cent of the beer market because people loved more flavour.
‘‘Anything where you want more flavour, you need to put in more alcohol. It’s very hard to put big flavour into beer and keep it low alcohol.’’
But he cautioned that it was too easy to say people were returning to drinking more alcohol. Anecdotally he had heard that consumption among teenagers was falling.
Instead, he suggested alcohol volumes might be up because of population growth and tourism.
‘‘New Zealand has got a reputation [for craft beer] and if you’re remotely interested in it, you would come here and visit the Garage Projects and Emersons of this world.’’
Wine volumes grew 4.7 per cent, and spirits rose 7.7 per cent.
Growden said the total amount of pure alcohol in Kiwis’ drinks rose 5.1 per cent last year, erasing a 2.2 per cent decline in 2015.
However, it was still the third lowest level in 16 years.
‘‘There was enough alcohol for each adult New Zealander to drink the equivalent of two standard drinks a day,’’ Growden said.
‘‘This is 500 millilitres of 5 per cent alcohol beer, or two glasses of wine per person.’’