While Central Europe may be known for being one of the biggest beer-consuming regions in the world, they have started to put down their pints of beer and pick up glasses of cider, reports Bloomberg.
In the Czech Republic, the consumption of cider (both apple and pear) had risen four-fold to 3.68 million liters last year. Back in 2010, the Czech Republic’s consumption of cider was only 40,000 liters.
Cider seems to be the natural choice of drink for lager drinkers looking for a beer alternative, as it still retains the bubbly quality of beer while tasting fruity, tapping into the portion of the market looking for something sweeter than beer. Also, according to Michael Jurkovic, the owner of a cider brewing company in Slovakia, taps into the young and upper middle class market, who have “lived abroad and know the drink or like to experiment.”
Hana Simkova of Heineken, one of the companies behind the cider push is particularly bullish, stating that the brand trusts the push for cider as it, “represents the world’s greatest opportunity in the alcoholic beverage market.” [Bloomberg] [Photo: Flick.com/Waldopepper]