What beers will we be drinking this summer?

We drink less in general, and we prefer low-alcohol beers; we go out to bars less and, when we do, we have one beer rather than two. How are brewers adapting to our changing habits and tastes?

“Summer is paradise for these beers which have a little hint of bitterness, but not too much,” notes Marie-Ève ​​Myrand, general director of the Association of Microbrasseries of Quebec.

According to her, the tastes of Quebecers have been fairly stable for several years: IPA and all its variations, tropical beers, thirst-quenching beers like Czech pilsners, blondes, Mexican lagers.

And if the IPA is undoubtedly the queen of bars and terraces, Quebecers, customers and brewers alike, are rediscovering old styles, believes Éloi Deit, of Brasserie Dunham. “German and Czech lagers are coming back,” explains the man who has been in beer for more than 25 years, which has given him plenty of time to analyze our changing tastes.

“The path of microbrewery was traced with Unibroue which made Belgian-type beers,” he says. It really started with that in Quebec, and in North America in general. »

When Éloi Deit began his career at Cheval Blanc in the late 1990s, people chose their beer by color.

Especially since artisan brewers take great pleasure in making them while respecting tradition; sometimes without filtration and with cold aging for several days, even several weeks, which pleases the connoisseurs that Quebecers have become.

In the Magdalen Islands, Anne-Marie Lachance confirms this return to basics after a long detour, which even took us through beer-smoothies. “We went a little to the extreme, to get back to basics,” says the co-founder of the microbrewery À l’Abri de la Tempé, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this summer.

Which does not sound the death knell for fruit bitters, but lets the classics regain their rights. “We were thirsty for everything that was new, but people are rediscovering the classics,” notes Anne-Marie Lachance, who foresees the tourist season with optimism: 75% of the turnover of the Madeline microbrewery is made during the summer.

Less alcohol, more taste

One trend undeniably stands out: low-alcohol beers.

“People have thoughts about alcohol that they had less of just ten years ago,” says Marie-Ève ​​Myrand. Consumers are therefore turning to beers that are low in alcohol, but strong in taste, full of flavor, she continues. Nanos or sessions. »

Or even non-alcoholic or 0.5% beers.

A sign of the times, sales of non-alcoholic beers have just exceeded the 10% mark at Brasseurs du Nord, a company that brews Boréale.

“Alcohol-free, for us, has exploded,” admits the CEO of Brasseurs du Nord, Sébastien Paradis, who says that the niche has seriously taken off during the pandemic.

And by a combination of circumstances, in their case: the boss of Boréale launched a challenge to his employees, confined at home. Some employees had to create a non-alcoholic beer – the trend was there, but never on the scale it is today.

“We launched this in December 2021,” relates Sébastien Paradis, “almost like a team building event. Now it represents 11% of our sales. »

He himself is surprised by the speed with which non-alcoholic beer has taken market share. But he explains it.

Beer and non-alcoholic products are no longer reserved for those who must choose them; the niche now rhymes with health. “It’s quite the opposite now, it’s a good thing, you want to hold your can and show that it’s alcohol-free,” says Sébastien Paradis. We must always innovate. We have to adapt to the needs, to what Quebecers want to drink. »

Shuffle the cards

While everyone in the industry admits that there is an overall reduction in consumption, this drop is not experienced in the same way for all companies.

For some, it is not experienced at all: sales of Boréale beers have doubled in five years, reveals the company’s CEO.

“The micro still has growth,” specifies Sébastien Paradis who runs “the largest micro” in Quebec.

To be part of this category, a microbrewery must make a maximum of 500,000 hectoliters of beer per year. Les Brasseurs du Nord produces 135,000 hectoliters annually.

For comparison, Brasserie Dunham should release around 3000 to 3200 hectoliters this year, which is already clearly above the majority of microbreweries in Quebec, since 80% make 2000 hectoliters per year, according to their association.

At the other end of the spectrum, three companies make practically 90% of the beer produced in Quebec: Labatt, Molson and Sleeman. These are also the only three breweries with facilities in Quebec that are part of the Beer Canada group.

If they are beer giants, they are not immune to the changes in habits currently observed.

“It’s a big challenge,” admits CJ Hélie, president of Beer Canada, a group that represents industries that brew millions of hectoliters annually.

Which led to the launch of new products.

“Where is our consumer going? », asks CJ Hélie, who explains that the big brewers have mainly taken two avenues: weak or non-alcoholic beer and new ready-to-drink products.

“For 20 years, the beer industry has invested in new means of production to make alcohol-free beer that will really please fans,” he says. Which will provide tastes similar to those of regular beer. We are now seeing different styles of non-alcoholic beers. »

Several breweries have also tried it with ready-to-drink products of all kinds, explains the president of Beer Canada, simply to expand their portfolio and reach a clientele that they were no longer able to reach with traditional beers.

All these renewal efforts will still not compensate for a loss: sales of beers consumed outside the home have not returned to pre-pandemic levels.

“People go out less, that’s a fact,” says CJ Hélie. And when they go out, it costs them more than before COVID-19 for less, because prices have increased. »

Result: they make choices when they are at a restaurant. And maybe it’s the beer that’s hurting.

This slowdown is also noted in Quebec, and local brewers are feeling it, since the bar sector is particularly lucrative.

“The barrel has a higher margin than the can,” says the CEO of Brasseurs du Nord. “There are a lot fewer 5 to 7 hours on Thursdays,” notes Sébastien Paradis, “people are teleworking. Restaurants are no longer open for lunch, several have closed: our habits have changed. »