Although modern craft beer variants like IPAs and pale ales are quite popular in the United Kingdom, 71 percent of Brits still favour an old-fashioned lager. Beer types most commonly associated with old-school British pub culture are surprinsingly ranked comparatively low as our chart indicates.
According to a survey by the Society of Independent Brewers conducted in January 2020, classic UK beers like porters and brown ales are not even able to crack the top five, while stouts sit in fifth place with 30 percent of respondents saying they drink this type of beer. The inclusion of bitters in the top list can be attributed to age: 56 percent of respondents aged 55 or older drink this variant which gained widespread popularity in the 20th century.
The ranking of popular beer types also reflects in the off-trade sales of UK craft beer brands. From October 2019 to October 2020, Camden earned approximately 40 million British pounds with their Hells Lager, with the Punk IPA by BrewDog coming in second at 36.1 million British pounds. Although the latter has almost become synonymous with modern UK craft beer, the Scottish brewery had its fair share of controversies. In June 2021, former employees released an open letter citing the fostering of a "culture of fear" in the company.
