"Although total lager sales in supermarkets outnumber those of beer by around five to one, the big retailers are now waking up to how consumer tastes are rapidly changing."
The piece is about beer- er, about ale sales gaining ground on the popularity of lagers. A bit of nationalistic pride creeps in, as the writer declares that "British beer is most definitely back." Lagers, of course are a continental invention, hailing from Germany and eastern Europe. Ales, or "bitters" as they're also known, have long been a British (and, to be fair, a Belgian) specialty. As noted in the excerpt above, lagers still outsell ales, but ale sales grew 6.6 percent in 2007, compared to 0.2-percent decline in lager sales.
The report seem to describe a trend among consumers and brewers similar to what we've seen here in the U.S. with the craft beer movement. More power to 'em.
With the terminology being a bit different, I wonder if Budweiser markets itself in Britain as "the King of Beers?" That would seem to make the claim even more suspect.
