Belgians switch to beer at restaurants

At restaurants, receptions and meetings more and more Belgians prefer to drink beer; the popularity of champagne and wine is in decline. This emerged from the fourth beer barometer of the Union of Belgian Brewers and the newspaper Het Nieuwsblad. Twenty-five percent of Belgian restaurant visitors prefer beer, in comparison to only eighteen percent just three years ago. At a quarter of all receptions and meetings beer instead of sparkling wine is served. According to Theo Vervloet of the Union of Belgian Brewers, the growing popularity of cheaper beer is not only influenced by the crisis. The promotion of the brewers and the fear of alcohol controls by the police is also playing a role. Smaller beer glasses for receptions are popular because a serving of beer generally contains less alcohol than the same amount of wine or champagne. Speciality beers such a Trapist are becoming more popular with Belgians. In 2005, one in two Belgians still preferred to drink lager. Today, just 38 percent prefer lager. Most Belgians find that wine in restaurants costs too much. This increases the popularity of beer even more.