Do you know the difference between a Madri and a Carling? More than 90% can’t tell the difference, according to a new survey asking drinkers to name the origins of popular beers in boozers across the country.
The survey of 2,000 people, conducted by Scottish brewer Innis & Gunn in October, revealed only 8% of respondents were aware that Madri, a Spanish-esque beer, was invented in Burton-on-Trent and is brewed by Molson Coors Brewing Company.
Within the Millennial demographic only 12% knew that Madri is brewed in the UK, despite almost 50% willing to pay more for continental beers – compared to 38% of all Brits.
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The launch of Madri, a Mediterranean-style beer, is attested to its 2020 launch during the COVID-19 pandemic, when British consumers, unable to travel abroad, sought out the taste of Spain at home. The result has been a surge in sales of so-called “continental” beers, with Madri now one of the most popular beer brands in the UK.
Dougal Sharp, Innis & Gunn founder and master brewer, believes evoking the “spirit of Madrid”, with a Spanish man on the bottle and a Madrid-inspired logo, is a mirage.
He said: “Look, the beers we are talking about here are all great beers from great companies. But consumers are drawn in by the image and the promise of continental beer. They end up paying a premium price for them because of that marketing and the image. To me, it feels like a scandal.
“There’s no need to look to the continent for great beer when we’re producing award-winning homegrown lagers across the UK. And there’s no surely no need to be duped by supposedly continental lager. Our flagship lager recently won gold at the World Beer Awards, and British beers are among the best in the world; there’s so much quality here and consumers should wake up to that.”
The Scottish brewer conducted an experiment at Teuchters Landing, a pub in Leith, Edinburgh. They disguised their own lager with a vaguely Spanish label.
One customer said the disguised beer was “flavourful, quite smooth, quite light” but on response to finding out it was a Scottish beer was audibly shocked.
The survey also found just 27% of Brits believe the UK produces good beer – which drops to 20% for those under 34. In the eyes of the public, this puts beer below British cheese (46%), whisky (42%), film/TV (41%), and clothes (28%), with 15% of Brits of the belief that the UK produces nothing well at all.
Mr Sharp added: “When I read the survey results, it did make me feel like I’ve been shouting into an empty keg for the last 20 years – but I won’t stop. Homegrown lager is a movement worth getting behind and It’s time to give the incredible beer being proudly produced right here on our doorstep its time in the sun, as it were.”
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