Beer still on top, but more Brits opting for alcohol-free

19-Sep-2018 - Last updated on 19-Sep-2018 at 10:02 GMT

Booze or not: Brits turning their noses up at alcohol

Related tags Beer Cider Spirits Cocktails

The UK’s favourite drink remains beer, with 17% of Brits asked citing it as their beverage of choice, however, an alcohol-free option came in at a close second new research has claimed.

According to a poll of more than 2,000 Brits by Accor Hotels, 14% of those asked said they did not drink alcohol, which was also the top answer for almost one in five consumers in Birmingham.

The poll revealed which drinks Britons in certain parts of the country favour, as well as the type of drinks different age groups like.

“A recent Office of National Statistics report has revealed that a quarter of 16 to 24-year-olds claim to not drink alcohol, showing an increase in the number of teetotal Millennials,” the report said.

“Falling in line with this research, the age group with the highest number of recipients that chose ‘I do not drink alcohol’ (15%) was 18 to 24-year olds, further proving that youth drinking culture is changing.

Avocado on toast

“Millennials are more likely to be caught spending their money on avocado on toast than a pint and a packet of crisps at their local.”

When it comes to the tipple of choice for drinkers across the UK, those in Glasgow (17%) and Edinburgh (23%) said they preferred beer, while Geordies (19%) wanted a spirit and a mixer and those from Cardiff (18%) swayed more towards cocktails.

The full list of who drinks what can be seen in the infographic above.

Yet, the majority of consumers in the UK prefer beer, with 11 of the 15 major cities represented in the report leaning towards the brew.

“Belfast, Brighton, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Norwich and Plymouth all selected the drink,” said the report.

Awash with pubs

“From Hackney to Hammersmith, London is awash with pubs aplenty, which could explain why 18.8% of the capital chose beer as their number one,” it continued.

“Home to the Great British Beer Festival, London turns into a Mecca for beer lovers everywhere once a year, with people travelling from far and wide to sample the best artisan beers around.”

The city with the largest number of beer fans was Sheffield, 23.5% of drinkers there opting for the brew.

“Succumbing to stereotypes, cider was named the favourite alcoholic beverage for 18.2% of Bristolians; home of the fermented apple alcohol,” said the report.

“Surprisingly, it wasn’t a traditional Scrumpy that topped the list of cider favourites, but instead ‘Fizzy Mixed Fruits’ came out top as voted by 11% of the cider drinkers.”