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Across the globe, today’s consumers are thirsty for new drinking experiences that combine the classic, hoppy taste of beer with hints of sophisticated flavour favourites, from sweet and fruity to sour and bitter. FoodBev’s Melissa Bradshaw explores the rise of the beer cocktail.

Cocktails are a celebratory staple for many, offering a luxurious drinking experience with a carefully crafted blend of ingredients – whether enjoyed at the bar or at home.

While most cocktail menu classics feature spirits and liqueurs as their key alcoholic ingredient, a new wave of beer-based cocktails has entered the limelight in recent years.

With beer offering a lower-ABV option in contrast to spirits, a shift in preference for ‘low and no’ alcohol beverages could be a key factor underpinning the beer cocktail and flavoured beer trend’s growth.

Research from NCSolutions showed a particular interest in the ‘sober curious’ way of life – reducing and being more mindful of alcohol consumption – from the Gen Z consumer demographic.

Thirst for flavour 🥭

Alongside the demand for innovative low-ABV options, the trend could be driven by an increase in preference for flavoured beer varieties. This growth was highlighted by global flavour specialist Synergy Flavours in a recent assessment of the flavoured beer market, carried out using data from Innova and consumer research platform Vypr.

The report found that from 2018 to 2022, flavoured beer launches grew globally by 28%, by 30% in the UK and 48% in Canada. Among the top flavours were mango and raspberry, while pineapple, guava, lime, strawberry and lemon were all found to be rising in popularity.  Additionally, more than half of consumers in the UK, France and Germany said they enjoyed a more bitter taste profile in beer.

Paola Bassi, marketing director at Synergy Flavours Europe, said: “Flavours like mandarin, lime, orange and grapefruit can complement the bitterness in beer and might represent the sweet spot in terms of product development. The under-35s, who are already buying flavoured beers more than the overall population, will be a key driver in the category’s growth.”

In a consumer study carried out by ADM, tropical flavours emerged as a top-scoring flavour profile for RTD cocktails, selected by 72% of consumers. The company hosted a special industry tasting event at The Aviary bar and restaurant in Chicago this July, coinciding with the IFT First 2024 event, in which a number of beverage innovations were displayed. Two of these concepts aligned with the beer cocktail trend, demonstrating opportunities for innovation in this space.

The Shanghai Fling Witbier, with an ABV of 3.5%, combined citrusy pomelo flavours with gentle, floral Michelia Alba (White Champaca) magnolia flower. ADM said that the drink’s dynamic and complex flavour profile blends perfectly with a wheat beer flavour.

Showcased alongside this was a 4.2% ABV spicy ginger lager, tapping into increased interest in beers with spicy flavour profiles that can provide a sense of ‘adventure and excitement,’ ADM noted. The beverage concept featured Cascade hops extract, with flavours of natural black lime, ginger, jalapeño pepper and Worcestershire sauce.

Zest of both worlds 🍋

Beverage innovators are harnessing the popularity of contrasting yet complementary flavour profiles, such as floral and bitter, sweet and sour, and citrus and spice, to develop unique beer cocktail offerings. These profiles have worked well in traditional cocktails for generations, and still open myriad avenues for innovation in years to come.

Popular canned offerings, such as Estrella’s Jalisco Tropical Chamoy Michelada, leverage the favoured flavour profile of sweet and citrus mixed with a hint of spice. The michelada is a trending Mexican beer-based cocktail, combining beer with lime juice, tomato juice, spices, chilli peppers and salt.

Estrella’s take on the Mexican classic blends lager with Clamato tomato juice, chamoy flavour and pineapple juice for a sweet punch. The drink is described as a ‘michelada recipe with a tropical twist,’ inspired by the origins of Estrella’s Jalisco lager.

In March this year, Heineken teamed up with professional mixologist Dave Ryan to create two beer cocktails at the Sail Grand Prix 2024 event in Christchurch, New Zealand.

The Silver Sunsetter combined Heineken Silver lager with lime juice, sugar syrup, orange bitters and Aperol, tapping into the trend of light, spritz-style drinks, with the orange Italian aperitif having become a consumer favourite in many countries around the world.

The Oceanic Heineken Heighball featured spiced rum, Stones Ginger Wine, lime juice, sugar syrup, ginger beer and ginger bitters mixed with Heineken Silver to provide a bold and spicy flavour fusion.

In the UK, a combination of floral, fruity and bitter flavours was favoured as the winner of Austrian brewery Steigl’s 'Summer of Radler' competition.

The competition, in partnership with European beer supplier Euroboozer, challenges UK mixologists to create an innovative cocktail recipe using Stiegl Grapefruit Radler or Stiegl Raspberry Radler as its base ingredient.

The winning recipe was concocted by Costel Toma, bar manager at East London bar Boundary, and dubbed the ‘Franz Huemer Spritz.’ It featured Stiegl Grapefruit Radler mixed with Australian Four Pillars Bloody Shiraz gin, Japanese liqueur Akashi-Tai Ginjo Yuzushu, mango pureé and jasmine syrup.

The future is foamy 🍺

As flavour fanatics look to vibrant new combinations and adventurous taste experiences, the beer cocktail trend demonstrates opportunities for creativity, particularly when consumers are becoming more mindful of alcohol consumption and may opt for a lower-ABV option over traditionally spirit-heavy cocktails.

The future of happy hour looks bright, foamy and flavoursome – with beer firmly claiming its spot on the cocktail menu.

#SynergyFlavours #ADM #EstrellaJalisco #Heineken #Steigl #beer #cocktail