The rise of the can

I've just been knocking some numbers together for my book "Keg!". Ones looking at sales by package. Most of which I had to harvest especially.

I have tables with big long sets of UK beer statistics. Almost all taken from the Brewer's Almanack or its successor, the Statistical Handbook. Such handy books.

Getting a bit carried away, I didn't finish at 1980, but continued on to 1988. Which makes the trend of moving from returnable bottled to cans all the more evident. It also shows a change in the types of beer being drunk. Because some styles which had once been popular in pubs, such as Brown Ale, weren't often canned.

What were the classic canned beers? Bitter, yes. But most pre-eminent was Lager. With canned Lager becoming the archetypal beer to consume at home. Which I'm sure it remains to this day.

Beer sales by package 1971 - 1980 (%)
Year	Draught	Bottle/Can	Returnable bottle	Non-returnable bottle	Can
1971	73.5	26.5	22.5	4
1972	73.4	26.6	21.9	4.7
1973	73.1	26.9	21.2	5.7
1974	73.8	26.2	19.7	0.6	5.9
1975	75.8	24.2	16.7	0.6	6.9
1976	77.1	22.9	14.4	0.5	8
1977	78.5	21.5	12.8	0.4	8.3
1978	78.2	21.8	11.9	0.6	9.3
1979	78.3	21.7	11.1	0.6	10
1980	78.9	21.1	10.3	0.5	10.3
1981	79.5	20.5	9.5	0.6	10.4
1982	79.4	20.6	8.4	0.7	11.5
1983	78.5	21.5	7.5	1.6	12.4
1984	78.2	21.8	6.8	2.1	12.9
1985	77.2	22.8	6.6	2.4	13.8
1986	75.8	24.2	6.3	2.7	15.2
1987	74.3	25.7	6.4	2.9	16.4
1988	73.2	26.8	6.6	3	17.2
Sources:
The Brewers' Society UK Statistical Handbook 1980, page 11.
The Brewers' Society UK Statistical Handbook 1988, page 17.