Herald-Sun tackling the important issues of the day
Brew reveals the inner you
Beer drinker's favourite drop pops the top on aspirationsBy Karen Collier, consumer reporter
Herald-Sun
SAT 22 OCT 2011, Page 25THE beer you buy can be a pot, pint or stubbie full of social identity.
Drinkers' favourite brands are shedding light on their personalities, pay packets and lifestyles.
VB is a hit with the working class, budget shoppers, pizza lovers and Dancing with the Stars viewers, while Carlton Draught's following is keener on fish and chips and V8 Supercars.
High income earners who frequent department stores and live theatres are likely to pick up a James Boag's.
Bookworms and ABC and SBS news addicts like a Stella Artois or Coopers Pale Ale.
The younger set tends to be fond of Corona and Heineken, Roy Morgan Research reveals.
Deakin University consumer behaviour expert Paul Harrison said brain scans had found alcohol purchases usually were driven by emotion before taste.
``Beer is a really good indicator of aspiration and kinship,'' Dr Harrison said.
``People are drawn towards the kinds of people that drink what they drink.
``It is a reflection of your social circle and the kind of person you see yourself as.
``It's not about reality, it's about perception. It's better than reading a horoscope.''
The consumer insights for several mainstream beers are drawn from polling 10,000 people and covering 100 brands.
Crown Lager drinkers were most likely to hold dinner parties, Pure Blonde and Tooheys Extra Dry fans enjoyed popping down to the pub, and Coopers Pale Ale and Stella Artois culture vultures were most likely to be seen at the ballet and opera.
Pure Blonde and Corona fans often tuned in to Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy and How I Met Your Mother.
Roy Morgan's Norman Morris said the beer market had dramatically fragmented as more brands became available.
``Price can also have an influence. It's seen as more prestigious to have a premium beer,'' Mr Morris said.
Paediatric nurse Prue Wright, 23, mainly prefers Corona or low-carb beers such as Pure Blonde. ``I don't like the heavier ones,'' she said.
Builder Scott Gunning, 43, switched from the tradies' traditional Carlton Draught and Victoria Bitter to Heineken, Carlton Dry and Carlton Dry Fusion. ``As I've got older I find them more refreshing. I get bagged by my mates, but I don't mind being the odd one out,'' he said.
VICTORIA BITTER
Average age: 48
Average income: $53,000
1 Likely to shop: Dimmeys, Payless Shoes, Autobarn
2 Likely to support: Richmond, Western Bulldogs, Collingwood, Essendon, Hawthorn, Nth Melbourne
3 Likely to eat: Pizza Hut
4 Likely to watch: Dancing with the Stars, CSI: Miami, Footy ShowCARLTON DRAUGHT
41, $57,000
1 No standouts
2 Carlton, Collingwood, Essendon, Geelong, North Melbourne, Richmond
3 Subway, fish and chips
4 V8 Supercars, Footy ShowCORONA
36, $60,000
1 Rebel Sport, Just Jeans, JB Hi-Fi, IKEA
2 Hawthorn, West Coast
3 Red Rooster, McDonald's, Domino's, Subway
4 Desperate Housewives, How I Met Your Mother
CROWN LAGER
47, $69,000
1 David Jones, Athlete's Foot, JB Hi-Fi
2 Richmond, Adelaide, Collingwood, Geelong
3 Nando's, Pizza Hut
4 Packed to the Rafters, The 7pm ProjectPURE BLONDE
37, $61,000
1 Payless Shoes
2 Geelong
3 Red Rooster, Nando's, Pizza Hut, Subway
4 Big Bang Theory, CSI: Miami, The Mentalist, Top Gear, MasterChef
JAMES BOAG'S PREMIUM
45, $79,000
1 David Jones, Harris Scarfe, Rebel Sport
2 Essendon
3 No standouts
4 ABC News, Packed to the Rafters, V8 Supercars, Getaway, Top Gear, Modern Family
HEINEKEN
36, $54,000
1 Priceline, Rebel Sport, Colorado, Just Jeans, JB Hi-Fi, IKEA
2 Melbourne, W Bulldogs, Collingwood, Hawthorn
3 Nando's, Pizza Hut, Domino's
4 Big Bang Theory, Footy Show
TOOHEYS EXTRA DRY
38, $61,000
1 IKEA, Repco
2 Adelaide, Fremantle
3 Red Rooster, McDonald's, Hungry Jack's, Subway
4 Packed to the Rafters, V8 Supercars, Footy Show, Top Gear
COOPERS PALE ALE
40, $61,000
1 David Jones, Dymocks, IKEA
2 Adelaide, Port Adelaide
3 No standouts
4 Top Gear, ABC News, Lateline, Spicks & Specks, SBS World News
STELLA ARTOIS
43, $71,000
1 David Jones, Myer, Borders (since closed), Dick Smith, IKEA
2 Carlton, Adelaide
3 No standouts
4 ABC News, Lateline, Spicks & Specks, SBS World News, V8 Supercars, The Mentalist
Source: Roy Morgan Research
