Forget what you think you know about the typical Australian beer drinker

Australia’s beer market is quietly going through one of its biggest shifts in years, with new Endeavour Group data showing moderation, Japanese lagers, stout and young female drinkers are reshaping the category.

Drawing on purchasing data from millions of Dan Murphy’s and BWS shoppers, the State of the Hops report found mid-strength beer has overtaken full-strength as the country’s biggest beer style by volume, while Japanese lagers have overtaken Mexican cervezas as Australia’s favourite international froth.

It also found stout is staging a major comeback, non-alcoholic beer is in its 11th consecutive year of growth and the total beer range across BWS and Dan Murphy’s has grown 165% over the past decade to 2,312 products.

But across the 2026 report, the biggest take-away for beer brewers is clear: the old idea of a single, predictable beer shopper is breaking down.

Gill Webb, general manager, merchandise at BWS, said the Australian beer market had undergone a major transformation.

“We’ve seen a huge transformation in the Australian beer market, with Aussie beer drinkers now more adventurous and discerning than ever,” Webb said.

“Rather than a single dominant trend, our data reveals a multi-faceted market. For brewers, brands, and retailers, the message from this report is clear. Navigating this exciting new era of beer requires a hyper-localised approach. Simply put, the days of the ‘typical’ beer shopper are officially behind us.”

Beer, in simplier times.

The report said beer has bounced back to its pre-pandemic share of the liquor market after losing ground to spirits and premixed drinks.

One of the clearest shifts is moderation. Endeavour said low-alcohol, non-alcoholic and low-carb beer are continuing to grow, with non-alcoholic beer recording its 11th consecutive year of growth, driven by brands including Heineken, Guinness and Asahi.

Low-carb beer is also gaining ground, with two-thirds of all low-carb beer brands at BWS and Dan Murphy’s growing over the past year.

The report also pointed to “zebra striping”, where drinkers switch between alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks during the same occasion. Between March 2025 and 2026, nearly half of all non-alcoholic beer baskets also contained an alcoholic item, suggesting moderation is becoming more flexible than absolute.

Andy Miller, chief executive officer and co-founder of Heaps Normal, said the growth of non-alcoholic beer showed the category had moved into a new phase.

“The data tells the story: the non-alc category is growing and we’re pretty excited to see that Heaps Normal is the fastest-growing non-alc beer in the country, growing at more than three times the pace of the category,” Miller said.

The moderation shift is also changing the mainstream beer market. Mid-strength beer has overtaken full-strength beer as the biggest-selling style by volume across BWS and Dan Murphy’s.

Full-strength beer still leads by dollar sales, but Endeavour said its volume has been steadily declining since 2020, while mid-strength continues to rise. The report predicts mid-strength beer will overtake full-strength by sales value within two years.

Ben Eyles, head of beer at Asahi, said lower-ABV beer now accounts for around a third of the company’s retail beer sales.

“Aussie beer lovers are increasingly embracing more moderate drinking occasions. Lower-ABV beers now account for around a third of our retail beer sales and Asahi Beverages has led the way with highly popular and great-tasting low and mid-strength options,” Eyles said.

“We’re excited to bring more mid-strength beers to market as the segment evolves.”

The report also shows a change in international beer preferences. Japanese lagers have overtaken Mexican cervezas as Australia’s preferred international beer style, with the Netherlands sitting in third place.

Endeavour linked the shift to the recent boom in travel to Japan, suggesting Australians are bringing international holiday tastes back into local drinking occasions.

The trend is also influencing local brewers, with Australian brands recreating global styles such as Japanese rice lagers and Mexican-style cervezas while keeping production local.

Craig Masterton, co-founder and director of Heads of Noosa, said the appeal of Japanese-style lager was tied to drinkability.

“For us, that love of an easy drinking beer is exactly why we brew a Japanese-style lager,” Masterton said.

“The Japanese brewing approach is all about clean, crisp and incredibly drinkable beer - and that fits Queenslanders like a glove.”

Stout is also back in growth, helped by the rise of Guinness and the social trend around “splitting the G”. Endeavour said stout is now the fastest-growing beer style overall.

While Guinness is leading the resurgence, the report said stout remains the fifth fastest-growing style even when Guinness is excluded from the data, with brands including Coopers, Cascade, Shepherd Neame, The Grifter Brewing Co and Moo Brew also growing.

Amy Hiscock, brand director craft and premium at Lion, said Guinness had helped bring new drinkers into the broader stout category.

“Guinness has seen another year of incredible growth across all markets, spanning both retail and on-premise channels,” Hiscock said.

“By building a new cultural relevance for the stout category, Guinness has successfully attracted a broader demographic, introducing the brand to a younger generation of drinkers.”

The report also challenges assumptions about who is driving beer growth. Gen Z and younger millennial women are discovering beer at a higher rate than their male counterparts, making beer the second-fastest-growing liquor category for that demographic.

State differences are also becoming sharper.

Queensland remains Australia’s biggest beer market by volume and the national leader in mid-strength beer, with shoppers buying beer more frequently than any other state.

Western Australia is now the country’s craft beer capital, with shoppers buying nearly double the amount of craft beer compared with the national average. Victoria records the highest number of beer units per basket nationally and is a leader in online beer sales, while NSW and the ACT over-index on full-strength, low-carb, non-alcoholic and craft beer.