As demand for bottled ale in the UK continues to soar, a unique map from supermarket chain Tesco has revealed the UK’s biggest brewing hotspots.
The new graphic reveals that Suffolk is the UK’s top bottled ale-producing county, with the highest concentration of top-25 ale brands of any region of the country. Old Speckled Hen, Old Crafty Hen and Old Golden Hen – as well as Abbot and Adnams Broadside – are all produced in the local area.
But the map belies the fact that, of those five brands, four are produced by the £1.3bn-a-year Greene King group. Only Adnams Broadside – a dark ruby red beer rich in aromas of fruitcake, almonds and conserved fruit – is produced by an independent beer maker.
The next most popular county is Cornwall, with Doom Bar, Proper Job, St Austell Tribute and Sharp’s Atlantic all among the UK’s 25 most popular ale brands, followed by North Yorkshire in third place.
The map highlights the increase in demand for bottled ale, Tesco said, which has continued to rise for the last ten years to become a “retail phenomenon”. Demand for bottled ales grew by 14% last year, the retailer said.
At Tesco, the growth was even higher with a 17% surge – almost 9m extra bottles sold in Tesco stores compared to the previous year. Tesco ale buyer Chiara Nesbitt said: “We offer a fantastic range of quality ales at Tesco and it’s great to see Suffolk crowned as the UK’s ale brewing capital, producing five of Britain’s 25 most popular bottled ales including the country’s top seller, Old Speckled Hen.
“But Cornwall is right behind it with four top sellers and as our map reveals, there is now a fantastic diversity of different tasting, quality ales that are popular across the British Isles – a beer for just about every palate and every occasion.
“The ale revival, which started ten years ago, shows no sign of slowing down and has actually gained momentum in the last few years with more and more of our customers now matching the beer we offer with our food.
“In the last few years demand for bottled ale at Christmas and Easter has rocketed and that’s because of its growing status as a drink, like wine to complement the taste of food.”
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