Smoothies Gain On Beer In The UK!

Now this is concerning news. Especially for the United Kingdom where beer and spirits have long been such an intrinsic part of its DNA. And smoothies? Please…have you no dignity?

Here’s the deal…

As we’ve reported the UK is drinking less alcohol and now the Drinks Business is reporting that one in four adults in Great Britain “have cut down their spending on alcohol to save money and lead healthier lives.”

And even more distressing for the drinks industry is that this number rises to 34% among 25-34s, key consumers of all alcoholic drinks, according to the latest retail trend report from researcher Mintel.

And equally worrisome (at least to us) is that survey respondents indicated that they were largely unfazed by this switch to sobriety (hell, we struggle to go alcohol free for a month!).

And while it’s sobering to learn that UK beers sales fell by 88 million pints in 2017, the fact that the Mintel report noted that just under two thirds (63%) UK adults surveyed said they would consider drinking fruit juice, juice drinks or SMOOTHIES as alternatives to alcoholic drinks truly gave us pause.

In fact, smoothies grew by a concerning 21% between 2016 and 2017, further pointing to the UK consumers’ gradual shift from high-strength beers to alcohol-free lifestyles.

Smoothies really?

While these colorful fruit-flavored shakes might make all kinds of sense overlooking the beaches of Southern California, they’re just SO WRONG in the United Kingdom! And although their ascendancy might be good news for the country’s shopping mall kiosks and fast-food eateries is certainly not going to help England’s disappearing pubs situation.

And even if Great Britain’s best pubs start installing smoothie machines next to their cask ales and draft lines, is that really what we want?

Next thing you know UK pubs will have to stoop to offering amusement park rides, or yoga or maybe even a zoo to address a more sober and health conscience clientele…A national nightmare for a proud people and a total buzzkill if ever there was one!

Smoothie beer image credit: Culinary Collen  Yoga image: source: bieryoga.de