With rising health awareness and concern about binge drinking driving sales of low and non-ABV (alcohol by volume) beers among consumers, it seems counter-intuitive that innovation in strongly alcoholic beers should be rising. But new research from Mintel has found that almost one in four (23%) beers launched globally in 2014 and 25% in 2013 had an ABV of 6.5% or higher, up from just one in seven (15%) beers launched in 2012.
What’s more, largely due to the growth of craft beers, Mintel’s research finds that between 2011 and 2014, the number of beers launched globally with an ABV of 6.5% or over rose by 280%, with the number launched in North America growing by 319%, in Europe by 307%, in Latin America by 260%, and in Asia Pacific by 46%. Around the world between 2011 and 2014, North America saw the most beer launches with an ABV higher than 6.5%, with 46% of launches happening in this region, closely followed by Europe which hosted 40% of launches.
“More global beer drinkers now view high ABV as a key quality indicator, inspired by the success of craft beer in the United States—and increasingly globally over the past two years,” said Jonny Forsyth, global drinks analyst at Mintel. “While in certain countries, drinking strong beer has long been the cultural norm, they were previously the exception rather than the rule. The craft beer phenomenon has made high strength beer acceptable for consumers. And not just acceptable, but trendy and sophisticated.”
Mintel’s consumer research evidences how much drinkers like the taste of strong beer in both the United States and Europe. More than one in three (37%) U.S. beer drinkers have tried beer with higher alcohol content and would try it again, while a further 29% have not tried it, but would be interested in doing so. In Europe too, more than two in five (43%) Polish consumers who purchase beer say they prefer beer with an ABV of 5% or more, as do 41% in Italy, 39% in France, 33% in Spain, and 31% in Germany.
In the United Kingdom, Mintel’s research shows consumers associate a higher ABV with a higher quality beer—hence the industry labeling of stronger beer brands as “premium.” More than two in five (44%) U.K. consumers who drink beer say they associate a higher percentage alcohol content with premium beer, with 10% listing this as the most important factor.
