Beer facts !

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An interesting year for beer  
2016 is going to be very exciting year for beer! Lager drinkers are increasingly interested in Ale and there’s been a wonderful influx of new session ales and hoppy lagers in response to this. Session ales, particularly light IPAs, are the perfect alternative to lager for someone looking to try something with a bit more taste. On the flip-side, pale ales and hoppy lagers offer dark ale drinkers something more refreshing to enjoy throughout the evening. Pubs can capitalise on this new passion and interest of ale, and make the most of the higher prices and profit margins that kegged ales can demand, by offering regular guest ales or hosting weekend beer festivals and taking part in brewery led promotions throughout the year. Tara Karimian, Marketing Manager

The biggest UK brewer by market share is Carling owner Molson Coors, accounting for 18.4% of sales last year. AB InBev has 17.8% of the UK market with Heineken claiming 17.1% and Carlsberg 14.8%. Diageo, the owner of Guinness, came in third with 4.8%, ahead of SAB, which had just 3.1%.

82% of beer sold in Britain is brewed here. BPBA

The Brewers Association of Scotland was formed last year. Its founder members included Innis & Gunn, Cairngorm Brewery, Fyne Ales, Harviestoun, Inveralmond Brewery, Stewart Brewing, West and Williams Bros.

25 million beer drinkers maintaining around 700,000 jobs, and generating a retail value of over £18 billion a year, beer in Britain is big business.

According to Euromonitor, over the last five years sales of craft beer have grown by between 14% and 17% every year. In the US, such beers already account for 10% of sales. In the UK, craft beers make up an estimated 5% of sales.

Last year Kopparberg launched a hybrid lager/ale Höga Kusten, the number one Speciality Beer in Sweden, last year in the UK. They described it as a bridge between lager and ale. It is brewed using a unique open vessel brewing technique to create a perfectly crafted combination of one part ale and two parts lager.

Germans drinks more beer than any other nation.

BrewDog is the biggest-selling craft beer brand in Britain (on and off trade), ahead of  Samuel Adams and Sierra Nevada.

Belhaven Best is Scotland’s best-selling ale and is produced in Dunbar.

A bar based on good beer will also offer a good welcome, good service and good cheer. Roger Protz

4,000 beer brands are now available in the UK.

William Bros commissioned a comic book which told the 19th century tale that led to Heather Ale.

Most beer is made up of 90% water… brewers call it liquor.

50 of Scotland’s breweries…
Ayr Brewing Company, Alechemy Brewing, The Alpha Project, Andrews Ales, Cumertrees, An Teallach Ale Co, Arran Brewery, Balmaha Brewery, Barney’s Beers, Beath Brewery, Beeches Brewery, Beehive Brae, Belhaven Brewery, Black Isle Brewery Ltd, Black Metal Brewery, Black Wolf Brewery, Born in the Borders Brewery, Bottle Cap Bar and Brewery, BrewDog, Broughton Ales, de Brus, Burnside Brewery, Bute Brewing Company, The Cairngorm Brewery Co Ltd, Caledonian Brewing Co Ltd, Campervan Brewery, Clockwork Beer Co, Colonsay Brewery, Cromarty Brewing Co, Cuillin Brewery, Deeside Brewery, Devon Ales, Drygate Brewery, Eden Brewery St Andrews, Edinbrew, Edinburgh Beer Factory, Elixir Brewery, Ethical Ales, Fallen brewery, Fierce Beer Co., Fintry Brewing Company, Five Kingdoms Brewery, Floodline Brewing Co., Freewheelin’ Brewery, Fyne Ales Brewery, Shop and Bar, Glennfinnan Brewery, The Hanging Bat Brewing Co., Harviestoun Brewery Ltd, Hebridean Brewing Company, Heidrun Brewing Co, Houston Brewery, The Inveralmond Brewery Limited, Innis & Gunn, Islay Ales.

50 more of Scotland’s breweries…
JAW Brewery, John O’Groats Brewery, Keith Brewery, Kelburn Brewing Co, Kinneil Brew Hoose, Kirrie Ales, Knops / Archerfield Brewery, Krafty Brew, Lerwick Brewery, Laig Bay Brewing Company, Lawman Brewing Company, Lion’s Lair Brewery, Liquid Brewery, Loch Lomond Brewery, Loch Ness Brewery, Lola Rose Brewery, Luckie Ales, Madcap brewery, Monolith Brewing Co., Moulin Brewery, MòR Brewing, Isle of Mull Brewing Co., Natural Selection Brewing, Oban Bay Brewery, The Old Inn Gairloch, Old Town Brewing Company, Old Worthy, Orkney Brewery, Pilot Brewery, Plockton Brewery, Portpatrick Brewery, Quiet Brewery, Ride Brewing Co, River Leven Ales, Rothes Brewery, St Andrews Brewing Company, Six Degrees North Brewery, The Isle Of Skye Brewing Co Ltd, Speyside Craft Brewery, Spey Valley Brewery, Stewart Brewing, Strathaven Ales, Strathbraan Brewery, Sulwath Brewers Ltd, Swannay Brewery, Tempest Brewing Company, Tennent Caledonian Breweries, Tinpot Brewery, Top Out Brewery, Traquair House Brewery, Tryst Brewery, Andrew Usher & Co., Valhalla Brewery, Valve Brewing, West Brewery, Williams Brothers, Windswept Brewing Co, Wooha Brewery.

The Boston Beer Company is the biggest craft brewer in the US – its beers include Samuel Adams, and the company was set up in 1985.

20m Pints of beer are enjoyed every day in Britain – that would equate to approx 2m in Scotland…

There are more breweries per head of population in the UK than any other country in the world.

Brewers are also doing their bit for climate change. 2014 saw brewers’ efficiency rise by 1.2%, an overall improvement of 11.6 per cent from 2008, whilst carbon emissions fell by 1.2% and water efficiency rose 6%; a 39%  increase in efficiency since 1990.

BREWMEISTER, based in Keith, Banffshire, has had its Snake Venom beer verified by Trading Standards as the world’s strongest. 67.5% ABV – and Trading Standards tests have now not only verified that claim but found it’s even a touch stronger at 68%. It comes in at a whopping £50 for 275ml bottle.  However the world’s strongest naturally fermented beer is Sam Adams Utopias at 29% ABV.

30% of Brits who buy alcoholic drinks say they don’t understand what the term ‘craft’ means. Mintel.

IPA stands for India Pale Ale which were introduced in the 19th century.

Just one in four (24%) beer buyers are willing to spend over £4 on a pint of craft beer in the on-trade and 21% are unprepared to even go above £3 per pint. On the other hand, there are a small number of consumers who clearly have strong beliefs in craft credentials as 5% of beer buyers are prepared to exceed £5 on a pint of craft beer.

There are now more than 1,400 breweries in the UK producing around 8,000 regular beers and thousands more seasonal and one-off beers.

So although crafts are still relatively small beer, constituting only 2.5 per cent of total beer sales in America, however craft beer now represents more than 10 per cent of beer sales.

Ale is oldest style of beer in the world . In 4000 BC in the middle east people were fermenting a form of bread to make a fermented pulp which had an intoxicating effect – a “divine drink”.

The Egyptians were also keen brewers and beer and malt has been found buried in the tombs of the Pharoahs to provide sustenance for the afterlife.

Glass shape affects the head retention of the beer, with glasses tapering inwards being preferred for foamy beers. This tapering effect also helps the beer’s aromas to arrive at your all important nose to best effect, so hoppy beers benefit from such glasses. Some brewers have gone a step further and provide badged glasses with a logo etched into the base which generates a steady stream of attractive bubbles to enhance the appearance of the beer even more. For lighter beers, which need serving cooler, the weight of glass is also vital if the beer is to stay cool in warmer weather. Many purists therefore use heavier glass, which in summer can even be stored in the fridge!

According to Mintel 38% of Brits bought a craft alcoholic drink brand in the three months to November 2015.

A survey of SIBA members (the Society of Independent Brewers ) showed that Average beer strength is 4.1% ABV Golden ales are the most produced beer style – 92% of respondents brew at least one, followed by traditional bitter – 81% .