Du pain, de la biere, du Boursin? Why the French are now drinking more beer than wine

"According to figures just released by the International Organisation of Vine and Wine, the French drank 10m litres more beer than wine last year. What, each? No, nationally. But it is significant, because this is the first time that beer has overtaken wine as France's drink of choice. So France is now a nation of lagered-up boozehounds? No, quite the opposite. Younger generations are generally drinking less and less across the board. It's just that, on the rare occasions they do, they're eschewing the stuffiness of wine."

"In France, wine has always been drunk with meals, but people are eating less formally these days. It's hard to justify cracking open a bottle of red when you've just Deliverooed yourself a Big Mac. That's sad. But it happens everywhere. Beer is the ideal drink to insert into modern life. Unlike wine or vodka in Russia, or baijiu in China there isn't any real ceremony or formality to it. When you want a beer, you just go and get a beer."

"Plus, there's the strength of the stuff too. As successive generations drink less, a 330ml bottle of 5% beer (1.7 units of alcohol) is going to be far more attractive than a 250ml (large) glass of 12% red wine (1.5 units). I can't work out if this is good news or bad news. That depends who you are. If you're a public health official, then the fact that France is lowering its average alcohol intake has to be something to be celebrate. But if wine is literally part of your national identity, then it's a different matter."

France has shifted from wine toward beer, with beer surpassing wine as the preferred national drink for the first time. Younger generations drink less overall, but when they do drink, they increasingly choose beer over wine. Wine is traditionally consumed with meals, yet people eat less formally and often order food like fast meals, making wine less practical. Beer fits modern life because it has little ceremony and can be obtained easily. Beer also offers higher appeal through strength, since a 330 ml bottle of 5% beer can provide more alcohol units than a 250 ml glass of 12% wine. Public health views may see lower average alcohol intake as positive, while wine-focused cultural identity may feel threatened.

Read at www.theguardian.com