What's this all about?

When we moved down under in 2022, we couldn’t help but notice the variety of options on tap across Sydney. Ginger beer, hard lemonade, watermelon seltzers, frozen margs, rose from local wine regions and so much more. It was refreshing having so many options available when the stalwarts don’t quite hit the mark. Whether that’s in the sun on a Sunday afternoon, post-run, or just fancy something a little lighter, there’s a draft option available for any occasion.

Why isn’t this a thing in the UK? Why are so many options – other than beer and cider – just hidden away in the fridges beneath the bar getting no airtime? Beats us. 

It’s even more stark when you start to look at some stats. 57% of consumers drink premixed and spirits compared to only 49% that drink beer, yet 85% of on-trade taps pour beer (SIBA Independent Beer Report 2024). In addition to this, only 30% of 18–24-year-olds even drink beer (behind wine and spirits).

Of course, there are alternatives to beer and cider already on the market. But we found a couple of problems with them. The majority are overloaded with sugar and left you with a furry mouthfeel, which nobody wants. There didn't seem to be a sessionable alternative that you could enjoy over an afternoon, safe in the knowledge that you're not consuming 35g+ of sugar every drink.

The knowledge - or lack thereof - point is also important. Why are consumers kept in the dark when they want a drink? Some historic lobbying by the big multinationals to keep sales up, no doubt.

Alcoholic drinks companies don't have to disclose nutritional information or ingredients on their packaging. Unlike typical food and drinks companies, alcoholic drinks just have to include allergens and health warnings. That means no transparency around calories, sugar or even artificial ingredients. Even the source of all calorific truths - MyFitnessPal - struggles with finding the contents and nutritional values of a lot of drinks. This seemed a bit backward to us.