Michigan residents aren’t drinking as much alcohol as they used to… but the numbers are still pretty striking. According to the Michigan Liquor Control Commission, Michiganders consume 23.5 gallons of alcoholic drinks per year, based on total state population. If the analysis is done by residents of legal drinking age, it’s over 30 gallons per person.
The MLCC says beer is still the most popular beverage of choice, but it’s been declining over the past 25 years. Beer accounts for 79 % of consumption, with wine at 12 % and liquor and other variations making up the rest. That would include the increasingly popular ‘mixed spirit’ canned cocktails that have come out recently. Beer has been on a slow decline in consumption since the early 90s, down a total of about 15 % over that period. Taken another way, beer consumption last year would amount to 197 12-ounce servings (or about four per week) for every Michigan resident.
Scott Ellis is president of the Michigan Licensed Beverage Association in Lansing. He says people are much more about variety these days. They enjoy beer, wine and spirits at various times in various places, rather than always sticking to one beverage, as their parents may have tended to do.
For example, they may tend to try several varieties of wine in a ‘tasting room’ situation, while choosing only their favorite wine variety to take home when they are at the supermarket or beverage mart. Or, they may be willing to sample the new canned cocktails in a single serving option at a bar, while not attempting to create the same creative mix at home by assembling all the ingredients.
The variety trend has also played out, says Ellis, in micro-breweries frequently changing their lineup of beers, particularly to please a younger generation of beer drinkers. “They want flavor, maybe something lighter, maybe something that’s different than the traditional beer,” Ellis told MLive. Sometimes the varieties have a higher alcohol content, so it results in the purchase of fewer servings than it may have with a traditional mass brand beer.
Wine and liquor have been the ‘winner’ as beer consumption has declined over 25 years. Wine in Michigan is up 113 %, while liquor is up 83 %.
This story was originally reported by MLive
