“People have said for a long time that beer is recession-proof. Well, that’s not the case,” said DB Breweries corporate affairs manager Mark Campbell.
“People are trading down. Where they were spending $20 on a pack of premium beer, now they’ll spend $12 on a budget beer. So the margin that was there 12 months ago is certainly not there now.”
They are trading down because it all tastes the same.
I bet it isn't happening with craft beer. How do you trade down from and Epic Pale Ale or an Emersons Old 95?
Grog is probably a good descriptor for the likes of DB or Lion and the swill they make.
Wikipedia – “The word originally referred to a drink made with water or “small beer” (a weak beer)” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grog
This story was, of course, illustrated with a picture of bottles of beer even though all alcohol sales are down.