Irish beer consumption remains below pre-Covid levels in 2022

Consumption of beer in the Republic remained below pre-pandemic levels in 2022 despite the production of lagers, stouts and ales more than doubling following the lifting of the final remaining public health restrictions in the early months of the year.

Figures released by employer lobby group Ibec’s Drinks Ireland division show that beer remained Ireland’s favourite alcoholic drink as its share of the market increased to 43.5 per cent.

While the figures point to a dramatic 110 per cent increase in beer production throughout, they also highlight an ongoing slump in consumption of the beverage as Irish consumers continue to pare back their drinking.

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The group said in its annual beer market report on Friday that the ending of tough Covid-19 restrictions on the hospitality sector, domestically and globally, pushed up demand for beer as people returned to pubs, clubs and restaurants. But although consumption increased year-on-year from a low base in 2021 when the pandemic was still raging, total consumption fell by 3 per cent compared with pre-pandemic 2019, “mirroring a continued fall in alcohol consumption over the last 20 years”.

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Alcohol consumption has declined by about 30 per cent since 2001.

“It is notable that beer sales have not fully recovered, as consumers generally reduce their alcohol consumption,” said Cormac Healy, director of Drinks Ireland. “Ireland’s extremely high rates of excise duty on beer do nothing to help sales either, of course.”

Meanwhile, the UK remained the biggest export market for Irish beer, followed by the United States, France, Germany and Belgium.

Consumer trends

Looking at consumer trends, nearly 60 per cent of the beer consumed in the Republic last year was lager while 35 per cent was stout. Stout sales had declined substantially during the first year of the pandemic when pubs were closed but returned to more normal levels last year.

Non-alcoholic beer also had a strong 2022 with sales increasing by 25 per cent, rounding out a fourfold rise in its market share over the past five years.

“While the category is emerging from a low base here, we see from markets like Spain and Germany that zero per cent drinks have a market share of over 10 per cent,” Mr Healy said.

Against the backdrop of a national conversation about the advertising and marketing of non-alcoholic beverages, Mr Healy said that brewers should be allowed to promote the product under the “strict codes already in place”.

The Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland said last month that it is reviewing its guidance relating to the advertising of non-alcoholic drinks in the context of an increase in complaints about individual adverts.