MrTumble

Hi Guys, I have something of a theory, perhaps even conspiracy theory that drinks manufacturers are using gradually increasing the amount of alcohol in their beverages in order to retain and attract sales.

That may seem like an obvious case of normal retail sales, but look gradually over the years I have seen the average bottle of wine go from 9-10% abv to 12-14% abv, and beer from my youth was about 3.4 abv and is now pretty much always 5% abv.

These are not insignificant increases in alcohol.

Has anyone noticed the same and have any thoughts on the motivation in doing this?

JustODAAT

I think it's just like the food industry getting us all hooked on fat, sugar, corn syrup, etc. Addicted people spend money.

When I started paying attention to getting sober and getting healthy, I really noticed how much our society sends the opposite message.

Boleo

First of all; marketing and sales has always capitalized on delusional thinking. Putting more alcohol in beverages is simply catering to peoples delusion that more is better.

Looking back at all the advertisements that I have seen in my lifetime, there were times when less was perceived as being better. Such as when a new "Light Beer" is introduced to the market. A

Spinach

Wine certainly has gone up with the new world wines taking over. More sun more alcohol.
I used to check when I drank but in the end I'd just have drunk another bottle so the increase was mine by volume. I can't blame the alcohol industry for anything except perhaps my children's future alcohol issues as the advertising and marketing industry exploit the alcoholic soft drinks market.
John.

Mirage74

I think specific brands have stayed the same. There is definitely a trend for microbreweries to release beers with higher alcohol content. Not sure about wine. I know you can buy liquor with higher proofs (80 being the norm) but they usually cost more.

Ncognito13

I worked for about 2.5 years at a high end beer bar. Over 70 taps, 400+ bottles. Craft beer tends to have much higher abv all across the board. Most double IPA's start at 9%. We had this one beer that was a fan favorite, you could order it in a 24oz class, and was 10.5%. I would tell people in advance that it was the equivalent of 4-5 normal drinks. It's sad to think now that I had no shame in selling people 3-4 tall ones.

MrTumble

When I started drinking, draught lagers such as carlsberg and scol where about 3.0 to 3.4%, now you cant get a draft beer under 4.5%

and yes, the new world wines are particularly guilty of this - not sure if sun hours is the culprit or the variety of grapes used, which i presume are hybrid compared to the "old world" vines.

Johnston

This x10. We are being force fed addictions by profit oriented corporations. And the more needy in society seem to be the most vulnerable.