American Craft Beer The Best Craft Beer, Breweries, Bars, Brewpubs, Beer Stores, And Restaurants Serving Serious Beer.
The beer biz never sleeps at American Craft Beer. And here’s just some of what’s been happening in the beer world while you were drinking your way through the weekend.
Beer Remains the Alcohol Favorite in Ireland
Some say that when you want to know the beer biz is heading, Ireland is a leading indicator. And according to a new report from Drinks Ireland, beer continues to be Ireland’s favorite alcohol drink.
According to the Irish Beer Market Report 2023, domestic beer production saw a slight increase of 1.6% in 2023, continuing its recovery from a significant 110% surge in 2022 after pandemic restrictions.
Key findings include…
- Beer is still Ireland’s favorite alcohol drink with almost 43% of the market here.
- Lager remains the dominant beer category in Ireland, despite a 2% decline to 57.6% market share.
- Stout increased its market share by 2.6% to 35.6%, and ale’s share grew marginally to 4.9%.
- The non-alcohol beer category continues to experience phenomenal growth, now holding over 2% of the market, nearly doubling its share in the past four years.
- Per capita beer consumption in 2023 dropped, contributing to an over 11% decline since 2019.
- Ireland’s per capita alcohol consumption is now lower than in the UK and most European countries, including Spain, France, and Germany.
- Beer exports grew by 11%, reaching a value of €330 million.
- Ireland continues to have the third-highest level of excise tax on beer.
Words to Drink By
“‘It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.” Charles Darwin, English naturalist, geologist and biologist
Beer Fans Choose Buzz Over Taste
In spite of growth in the non-alcoholic beer segment, American Craft Beer has long contended that the primary reason that people drink beer is for mood-enhancement…And a Northwestern University study has come around to our position.
Researchers from the Northwestern University Feinberg’s School of Medicine in Chicago found that the taste preferences for bitter or sweet beverages aren’t based on variations in taste genes, but rather in genes that are involved with emotional responses according to NBC News.
The results of the study, which were published in the journal Human Molecular Genetics, strike us as confirming the obvious, that people drink beer and coffee primarily for their psychoactive qualities as does the cannabis consumer.
Yes, the buzzes are distinctly different, but the primary desired effect for coffee and beer drinkers is to “feel different” according to researchers at Northwestern University.
And according to Marilyn Cornelis the Assistant Professor of Preventive Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine it’s about how these drinks make you feel…
“The genetics underlying our preferences are related to the psychoactive components of these drinks,” People like the way coffee and alcohol make them feel. That’s why they drink it. It’s not the taste.”
