Craft beer's gain is domestic beer's loss

Despite a general decline in beer drinking in Australia, craft beer has bucked the trend, with the number of Australians consuming craft beer each month exceeding one million, according to new research from Roy Morgan Research.

Over the past five years, local craft beer consumption in Australia has increased from 3.5% of the population (592,000 people) in 2010 to 5.7% (1.04 million people) in March 2014.

In comparison, the number of people drinking domestic beer in an average four-week period has declined from 6.1 million (36.7% of Australian adults) to 5.8 million (31.9%) over the same period.

Local craft beer is most popular with those under 50, with 25- to 34-year-olds leading the way. In 2010, 7.9% of 25- to 34-year-olds drank craft beer in an average four weeks, but this has since grown to 10.7%.

“In positive news for the Australian beer market, the last five years have seen local craft beers fighting the increasing popularity of imported beers. However, what the local craft market has gained appears to be at the expense of the local mainstream beers,” said Angela Smith, group account director - consumer products for Roy Morgan Research.