Following on from the surprising news that more Kiwis are now drinking cider than pre-mixed spirits (RTDs), a recent survey of British drinkers by retail analysts Mintel indicated more Brits are enjoying cider than lager. In the survey, forty-seven percent of UK drinkers say they regularly enjoy a glass of cider compared with 46 percent who describe themselves as lager drinkers.
When asked for the reasons for picking cider, 58% claimed it is more refreshing, 49% said it has a fresher taste, 44% preferred its sweeter taste, 27% drink it for a change, 21% claim it’s less gassy than beer, and 17% say that they like that it tastes less alcoholic than lager.
More males than females still drink cider but the popularity of the drink is surging with women, particularly young women.
The Real Cider organisation, champions of the ‘real cider’ movement in Britain, welcomed the survey results on their website. They wrote “Us ‘Ciderheads’ knew we couldn’t keep the wonders of cider secret forever, it seems the rest of us Brits have joined the cider revolution. Cider is the undisputed success story within the alcohol category over the past six years.” Real Cider noted that sales of cider were booming at a time that the tough economy meant sales of other drinks were largely flat.
It should be noted that although cider is growing rapidly in popularity, lager consumption is still more than four times higher.
