Everyone’s drinking mid-strength – but what actually is it?

News! News that may confirm fears! News that may present new opportunities! A report, published by KAM Insights, has found that, when out at the pub with friends, 50% of UK consumers would rather have two so-called “mid-strength” drinks than one full-strength one. The report, entitled The Mid Strength Opportunity, also finds that 13% of consumers are “coasting”, meaning they’re drinking more mid-strength drinks throughout the evening, so they can stay out for longer and keep tabs on how much alcohol they’re consuming.

There’s talk that this presents an “opportunity” to develop the mid-strength category to meet this demand, but what defines a “mid-strength” drink? Well, there’s no legal definition, and the report doesn’t land on an official ABV range, either. It focuses on drinks that are two-thirds the strength of a full-strength beer (let’s say 2-3% ABV) and around half the strength of full-strength wine and spirits (6-7% ABV and around 20% ABV, respectively). Not to mention the fact that this report is brought to us by the Mid Strength Collective, a group of 12 businesses that produce and sell mid-strength drinks. I always feel a little cynical towards brand-funded reports whose findings seem to promote – surprise, surprise – a demand for the very brands that funded it.

That said, The Mid Strength Opportunity does feel relevant and timely. As the wine industry bites its nails over decreased alcohol consumption, this report is just the latest that lays bare why. The modern preoccupation with health and wellness, both physical and mental, is detailed as one of the main reasons behind a new interest in mid-strength drinks: the report finds that 38% of us are moderating our alcohol intake for a healthier liver, 25% for weight loss and 15% for better mental health.

This is, of course, great news for anyone who already makes lower-alcohol beverages, or for those with the equipment and means to create them (take a look at my earlier piece on low- and no-alcohol wines to see some ways that this is achieved). And, as temperatures rise due to global heating, alcohol levels in wine are rising, too, and some wines that are under a protected designated origin may by default be subject to a minimum alcohol strength, which may automatically rule them out from the mid-strength category.

The Mid Strength Opportunity coincides with a new proposed Drink Mid-Strength in March campaign (a new Dry January?), which I can see stretching out indefinitely as consumers seek different ways to moderate without compromising on the importance of the post-work drink with friends, that great British cornerstone of public life.

Four mid-strength bottles that might take your fancy

Bersano Monteolivo Moscato d’Asti DOCG £9.99 Waitrose, 5.5%. Moscato d’Asti has been mid-strength since way before it was cool. Sweet, sparkling, floral.

Small Beer ‘The Original’ Lager £13.20 for six (350ml) Majestic, 2.1%. I’m a big fan of Small Beer. Once only in bottles, but now also in cans. Crisp, classic.

Session Spirit 70cl £25.15 Master of Malt, 25%. Apparently makes ‘G&Ts the strength of a beer’. Which kind of depends on how strong you like your beer.

Goldtröpfchen Riesling Kabinett Schloss Lieser 2021 £16 The Wine Society, 7.5%. Another naturally mid-strength drink. Medium-sweet, with notes of peach and orchard fruit.