Aussie alcohol consumption on the rise and craft beer bears the blame

BOOZE consumption is going up in Australia for the first time in almost a decade, and one particular beverage is bearing the brunt the blame.

Beatrice Ferguson, 25, and Curtis Taylor, 27, enjoy some craft beers at Bear Brass in Southbank. Picture: Jason Edwards

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BOOZE consumption is on the rise in Australia for the first time in almost a decade and craft beer is getting the blame.

The nation’s love for cider has also pushed pure alcohol consumption up, but beer was the driving force behind the boost of almost 2 per cent in a year, according to research group IBISWorld.

“Consumers are definitely moving away from more traditional beers,” IBISWorld senior industry analyst Nathan Cloutman said.

New figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, analysed by IBISWorld, showed pure alcohol consumption increased last financial year, to 9.7 litres per person.

Australians are drinking more for the first time in almost a decade. Picture: Justin Tallis, AFP Photo

While it was only 180ml more than the year before, it was the first increase since 2007.

From the financial years of 2015 to 2016, beer consumption was up (+3%), wine consumption was down (-0.5%), and cider consumption was up (+16%), although cider made up less than one-twentyth of the market.

Mr Cloutman said the growth was attributed to the rising popularity of craft beer, particularly among young and middle age consumers who were looking for “more quality rather than quantity”.

Curtis Taylor, assistant manager at Southbank venue Bear Brass, said beer lovers were on the hunt for something different, while a few years ago they would have stuck to standard brews on tap.

“Pale ales are probably the biggest and IPAs are starting to come in,” he said.

“People are looking for something different, and they’re willing to pay for it.”

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