Stout – 13% of all alcohol consumed in Ireland
Covid-19 has significantly impacted the stout sector.
Stout made up 29.3% of total beer sales in 2019, illustrating its position as one of the country’s best-loved drinks.
And with beer being Ireland’s favourite drink, the value of stout sales in Ireland was €796 million last year.
Drinks Ireland|Beer, which represents beer producers here, is today encouraging Irish consumers to enjoy one of their favourite Irish stouts at home to mark International Stout Day.
Last year stout made up 64.3% of total beer production here in Ireland, up by 1.2% from 2018 and Stout makes up part of Ireland’s beer exports which increased by 8.5% in 2019, reaching €305 million.
Like other parts of the drinks industry, Covid-19 has significantly impacted the stout sector where official Revenue clearance figures show that beer sales were hit hard this year, due to the fact that the majority of beer is usually consumed in the on-trade.
Between January and September consumption fell by almost 15% compared to 2019. Looking specifically at Q3, which covers July to September, it was down by 17.2%.
While 62.7% of beer was consumed in the on-trade last year, the on-trade was responsible for over 80% of stout consumption.
“While consumers won’t be able to enjoy their favourite stout in a pub, bar or restaurant today” said the Head of Drinks Ireland|Beer Jonathan McDade, “we’re encouraging them to raise a glass at home to toast the sector. It’s been a challenging 2020 for stout producers, who will be hoping for some recovery in 2021.”
