Lagers Lead Among U.S. Beer Drinkers

As beers and brewing further stake their claim as premier beverage trends, adult consumers cite lagers as their preferred style, beating out ales by a substantial margin, according to a new survey conducted by St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch and KRC Research.

American lagers comprise the vast majority (75 percent) of today’s overall beer category, according to data from IRI, and findings from A-B’s National Lager Day (Dec. 10) survey reveals the brew's crisp flavor as the main driver of consumer preference.

The survey’s key findings include:

• Beer drinkers prefer lagers 2-to-1 over pale ales and 3-to-1 over IPAs and stouts.
• Two-thirds of beer drinkers like the crisp flavor of lager more than beers with bitter, sweet or fruity flavors.
• When it comes to serving style, respondents say enjoying beer in a glass bottle is best (38 percent), followed closely by beer on draught (32 percent).

According to Pete Kraemer, A-B’s head brewmaster, Lagers represent “the most challenging beers to brew, but also the most rewarding,” adding that they maintain a “crisper, cleaner taste than traditional ales and require an immense amount of attention during the brewing process.”

In preparation for National Lager Day, Anheuser-Busch will make a stop on its mobile Budweiser Brewmaster Tour at Pier 86 at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City on Dec. 9. Launched this fall, the tour aims to provide consumers with their own taste of the “art, science and passion that goes into making Budweiser.”

The National Lager Day survey includes responses from 600 beer-drinking adult consumers.