Tesco taps into fruit beer boom with 250% growth

Tesco has reported a 250% increase in sales volume for fruit-led beers over the past year, which it called the UK’s fastest-growing beer trend.

The demand for these lighter, fruit-infused brews has surged as UK consumers increasingly opt for refreshing, lower-alcohol options.

Typically around 4% ABV, fruit beers have long been popular in European countries such as France, Belgium, Germany, and Spain, where they are often enjoyed as a post-activity refreshment. The style is now gaining significant traction among UK drinkers.

Tesco beer buyer Ben Cole said: “The soaring demand for fruit-led brews, particularly lager, has taken the UK drinks market by storm and is the biggest trend to hit the beer scene since the craft boom started more than 15 years ago.”

“The trend actually has its roots in the craft beer movement because it introduced beers with tropical fruit profiles to more drinkers than ever before.

“For many people, the craft movement changed the perception of what a beer could taste like and opened many drinkers’ palates to a wider range of styles.”

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The surge in fruit beer sales follows a similar pattern to the growth of the craft beer movement, which reshaped UK drinking habits over the past 15 years.

While classic European fruit beers like Fruli and Bacchus Kriek have gradually gained popularity, UK-based brands such as Jubel are now driving the trend, according to the supermarket giant.

Jubel, launched in 2018, produces a variety of fruit beers such as peach, mango, blood orange, lemon, and grapefruit. The brand has experienced a 300% increase in sales at Tesco, with its peach lager now ranking among the top craft beers in the on-trade, according to CGA data.

Jubel founder Jesse Wilson explained: “We were a mixed group of men and women, some of whom liked beer and some who didn’t, but we all loved the Bière Pêche being served – a pint of lager with a peach top – and it gave me the idea to start the brand.”

“I thought that style of lager could be the perfectly refreshing pint in pubs and that’s where our business grew, with word of mouth spreading rapidly, to the point where it seems our flagship peach lager is now the fifth biggest craft beer in the on-trade based on CGA reported volumes.”

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