As a lager drinker for many years (a favourite uncle used to refer to me as “Lager Lil” from a very young age and I have been known to tell people that I was “weaned on lager”), I was intrigued by a headline on the BBC website today which reads:

Has Britain fallen out with lager?

Apparently, while it remains by far the most widely drunk variety of beer, sales of lager fell from £12.7bn in 2006 to £11.4bn in 2011, according to market researchers Mintel.

Despised by real ale lovers yet consumed in vast quantities by pubgoers, for decades, lager has long rivalled tea as the beverage that best defines modern Britain.  And yet the nation’s attachment to the supposedly refreshing qualities of pilsner and export appear to be on the wane.

It could be the economic climate – we blame everything else on the economic climate – but with more people buying their drinks from the supermarket rather than the pub, couples in particular are more likely to choose drinks they can enjoy in the home together.  At home it’s about sharing, opening a bottle together, and lager has never been marketed in that way.

For me however, there is nothing more enjoyable than a long, cold drink of lager at the end of the day – at home or in the pub, I really don’t mind!  So athough depleted, for now lager looks capable of lasting another round.