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In 2010 I published the first on-line survey on customs and habits of craft beer consumers in Italy on the Italian version of my blog. I previewed results during Pianeta Birra in February, thanks to the help and interest of Unionbirrai. Some months later I released a free-downloadable full detailed digital report of that study. Now, with some delay – for which I must apologize – I’m glad to release the English version of the survey, that you can download for free. Many thanks to Andrea Sclausero, who translated all the stuff.

I think is quite an interesting analysis, since no one tried to analize Italian beer consumers before. That’s why results are somewhat puzzling, revealing how much professionals’ opinions were built on clichés.  Dichotomy between industrial and craft, what restrains from buying craft beers and the favourite places for consumption are the most surprising outcomes. The overall Italian movement appears rather young and craft beer far from reaching a consistent and capillar distribution.

In conclusion, here’s an overview of the whole study – in pdf as well – with anticipations on the responses provided.

This study shows that the average Italian consumer of craft beer is male, aged between 31 and 45, with a medium-high cultural profile. It’s mostly an occasional drinker, which knew microbreweries for a relatively short time (no more than 3 years) and that is far from consume only craft beer: often drinks industrial beer, sometimes way more than the craft brewed.

In other words, the average consumer is not a long time passionate. On the contrary, in most cases is an occasional consumer driven by ¬ curiosity, who knows little about craft beers and only buy it sometimes. It is no coincidence that the average budget reserved for purchases is between 10 and 30 euro a month, a rather small figure, especially when compared to the price of a single craft beer.

Speaking about the price, this item remains one of the most obvious acquisition restraints. However, the main problem for the average consumer is the availability: data express some difficulty in finding businesses specialized – in whole or in part – in craft beer. Despite the boom in the field, micro-brewed beers do not seem to have reached a consistent and widespread distribution in national territory yet.

The consumption of craft beer is mostly domestic. In other words, the average consumer prefers to buy beer off-license and drink it at home with friends and acquaintances. Unlike other nations, the pub is not the place chosen for the consumption of craft beer, showing that such premises are still related to industrial products. This should be due to a problem in conceiving different trading dynamics.

The average consumer buys mostly from Italian microbreweries, showing an evident preference for Belgian craft beer concerning imported brews, opening up a lead on the other brewing nations – Germany, UK and USA.

Finally, “our consumer” connects craft beer with concepts such as “taste”, “culture” and “companionship”, thus indicating that is a beverage that plays on the sensory perceptions of the drinker, who recognizes its socializing value and the cultural background from which it has developed over time. For consumers, the “ideal beer” should be “surprising”, “peculiar” and “complex”; should amaze, attract with original and varied organoleptic features.