2012 saw growing demand for high-quality speciality craft beers, such as Tennent’s, Bock and Radeberger.
The slight recovery of the Italian economy, compared to the end of 2011, and consequent increasing consumer confidence shifted consumers’ focus from value and price to quality again.
Italy is considered to be part of the wine belt of Europe. Nevertheless, beers, particularly mass-produced pale lagers, are common in the country.
It is traditionally considered to be an ideal accompaniment to pizza; since the 1970s, beer has spread from pizzerias and has become much more popular for drinking in other situations.
Italians have become increasingly eager to experiment with different and unusual types and flavours of beer and place a particular importance on regional origins and authenticity, making the beer drinking experience much more sophisticated, both for convivial occasions as the habit of dining with beer increases (not only for accompanying a pizza meal) and for more intimate occasions with friends at home.
One of the oldest and most recognised breweries in Italy is Birra Peroni (or simply Peroni), which was founded in 1846 and is now headquartered in Rome.
Peroni’s most famous product is a pilsner-style beer, Nastro Azzuro, which is one of the few Italian beers marketed worldwide.
The Italian beer market is expected to remain stable over the next five years. The trend is predicted to be more dynamic in volume terms compared with the past five years, in particular in the on-trade channels. This will be driven in part by expectations of an improved economic situation but also by growing demand for off-trade sales as consumers increasingly entertain at home.
Sales will be supported by the increasing range of premium products and, at the same time, the number of women drinking beer is also expected to increase.
Source: Companiesandmarkets.com
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