BrewDog Punk IPA sales increase by 19.7%

According to latest figures from CGA, BrewDog sold around 3.3m more pints of its flagship IPA in the UK on-trade during 2019 versus the previous year, generating an increase in value of close to £15m.

The independent Scottish craft brewer and pub operator also released a low-alcohol twist on its Punk IPA, Punk AF​, in May.

While BrewDog kept hold of top spot in the craft category for a second year on the spin, Fuller’s Frontier and Innis & Gunn Lager were both replaced in the top 10 by Greene King East Coast IPA and Beavertown’s Neck Oil Session IPA.

A newcomer to the Drinks List, the wheels were greased for Beavertown’s Neck Oil in 2019 with on-trade value and volume both two-and-a-half times higher year on year for the Heineken part-owned brewer’s IPA.

What’s more, Budweiser Brewing Group-owned Camden Town Brewery saw increases for both its Hells, which remains in second spot in the craft category, and Pale, which climbed above Brooklyn Lager and Marston’s Shipyard into the top three.

A year in craft

As highlighted in The Morning Advertiser’s ​(MA​) Beer Report 2019, ​premiumisation of on-trade beer is driving £380m extra cash sales​ through pub tills, according to figures from Heineken UK, with overall sales of craft beer increasing by 78% in the past four years.

According to CGA, one in five who go out to eat and drink might choose a craft beer. That’s 9.4m people.

MA​ also reported in July that beer behemoth Molson Coors had bought south-east based Hop Stuff Brewery​ and its taprooms as part of a pre-packaged administration process for an undisclosed fee.

The past 12 months also saw craft pours continue to break into the mainstream with BrewDog climbing into the world’s 25 most valuable beer brands​ according to Brand Finance, while both Camden Town Brewery and Beavertown enjoyed breakthrough seasons on opposing sides of the North London derby with Arsenal​ and Tottenham​ respectively.

In addition, a record number of trademarks were registered for beer in the past year, with a 6% jump versus 2017 driven by continued consumer demand for craft​ according to corporate and insurance law firm RPC.

Best sellers

According to MA​’s latest Drinks List, the best-selling craft beers in the on-trade in 2019 were:

All data provided by CGA for the 12 months to 7 September 2019​​