Beer consumption in Belgium continued to fall in 2021 as part of a long-term shift away from drinking bigger servings of lagers to smaller volumes of stronger beers and ales. The stay at home culture only intensified this trend as Belgians focused on really enjoying the taste of ales and beers, thus reducing the quantity of beer consumed.
Ales and dark beer saw double-digit volume growth in 2021 as on-trade consumption made a strong comeback from July onwards. Speciality beer increased in supermarkets as people made fewer visits to cafés and ordered something special to treat themselves.
More and more Belgians are opting for non- and low-alcoholic beer as part of a health trend to cut back on alcohol consumption. Non and low alcoholic beer is also perceived as a healthier choice than soft drinks, which is also encouraging consumers to switch to these options.
In the short-term at least, beer will see one its strongest years for some time, with the re-opening of horeca causing a surge in demand for beer in the on-trade and consumers enjoying the chance to socialise with friends on different occasions. The 2022 FIFA World Cup featuring Belgium is also likely to give a boost to beer sales in both retail and on-trade later on in the year.
The switch from pils/lager to speciality beers and ale is set to continue in the forthcoming years driving value growth as Belgians trade up to these higher-priced alternatives. In a declining beer category, more manufacturers will be looking to compete at the valuable premium end, which has growing appeal among Belgian’s beer drinkers.
More middle-sized breweries are expected in the forecast period as small breweries face up to fewer revenue opportunities and some are forced to close. More cafés are expected to close once state support is abolished in 2022 reducing the number of cafés operating in the on trade, which will lower competition and allow them to increase prices.
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Beer
An alcoholic drink usually brewed from malt, sugar, hops and water and fermented with yeast. Some beers are made by fermenting a cereal, especially barley, and therefore not flavoured by hops. Alcohol content for beer is varied – anything up to and over 14% ABV (alcohol by volume), although 3.5% to 5% is most common. Beer is the aggregation of lager, dark beer, stout and non/low alcohol beer.
See All of Our DefinitionsThis report originates from Passport, our Beer research and analysis database.
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