Fruit lager’s surge shows no signs of abating, with sales climbing by more than 50% year on year in the past month amid growing retailer focus and the arrival of warmer weather.
In the four weeks ended 18 April 2026, value sales of fruit-flavoured lagers climbed 52.2%, analysis of NIQ data by Alpine Online shows. Over the past 12 and 52-week period, fruit lager sales are up 49.5% and 21.3% respectively.
Challenger brand Jubel continues to drive much of the segment’s growth. Its retail sales have climbed by £5.1m (79.8%) to £11.6m [NIQ 52 we 18 April 2026].
Jubel’s taste profile, sitting somewhere between lager and fruit cider, was helping the brand sweep up shoppers from both categories, CEO and founder Jesse Wilson said.
“We recognised a gap in the market for something that offers the refreshment of a lager, but doesn’t go to the sweetness extent of fruit cider,” he said. “Lager and fruit cider are both big categories, so why wouldn’t the space in between them also be big?”
While fruit beer was “as seasonal as lager”, the segment did not experience the same dip in sales as cider in the winter months, Wilson claimed.
“Jubel will always sell well if the sun comes out,” he said. “But people don’t often assume it will also sell well when the sun’s not out, which has thankfully been the case.”
Tesco bays added
Growing demand for fruit lager prompted Tesco to introduce a dedicated bay in 300 of its stores last month. The new fixture features 10 SKUs from Jubel, alongside fruity brews from major brands such as Madri, Cruzcampo, 1664 and Foster’s.
They were designed to “introduce the category and simplify the shopping trip for customers looking for fruit lagers”, said Tesco beer & cider category buying manager Abigail Wilson.
The new bays were “arguably the most significant change to the macro beer space in Tesco’s stores over the last five years”, said Dave Knowles, MD of Alpine Online.
“It is quite refreshing to see such a bold change by the buying and ranging teams,” he added.
Nascent growth
While fruit lager remains relatively nascent – Alpine Online estimates the total category to be worth between £28m-£30m in the off-trade – its growth is in sharp contrast to the performance of the wider beer category.
In the past year, value sales across total beer declined by 1.0%, with declines accelerating to 3.9% and 7.6% across the past 12 and four weeks respectively [NIQ].
The downturn is being driven by dwindling demand for mainstream beer (–2.2% year on year) and craft beer (–8.1%), while growth in low & no-alcohol has also slowed, with value sales up just 4.7% over the past 12 weeks.
“With the Fifa World Cup just around the corner, it looks like fruit lager might be the shining saviour of the beer industry as we approach the summer months,” Knowles said.
Meanwhile, fruit cider has not enjoyed the same uptick in fortunes as fruit lager. Value sales are down 8.9% over the past 52-week period.
“As consumers become more and more mindful of the sugar content in their products, ‘fruit’ ciders are perceived as simply too sugary,” said Knowles. “Fruit lager blends the bitterness of lager with a hint of fruit flavour to give you a pleasant summer drink that is arguably more sessionable.”
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