The Mirror published an
article on January 15, 2016, in its Money section, with the headline: ‘Lager
sales have fallen flat as drinkers turn to bitter and craft ales.’ What does
‘fallen flat’ mean?
Oxford Dictionaries defines ‘fallen flat’ as something that ‘fails
completely to produce the intended or expected effect.’ The example that Oxford
Dictionaries use is: ‘his jokes fell flat.’ It means that the jokes are
ineffective or to have no effect.
The article’s first sentence is ‘Lager sales have fallen flat as
drinkers turn to quirky artisan ales and bitter to tickle their taste buds.’ It
adds that British market analysts, Mintel, reveals that lager sales have
slumped by 8% in the last five years and fell again by 1% year-on-year from
3.18 billion litres to 3.15 billion litres. In 2014 54% of Brits drank lager,
which decreased to 49% in 2015. This is due to people in Britain drinking more craft
beer – their sales have increased 2% in just 12 months, soaring from 895
million litres to 913 million litres. The article subsequently lists the artisan
beer brands that are selling well. Apparently, ‘more than a quarter of Brits
drink ale or bitter and one in five sip craft beer.’ Bitter beer is a style of pale
ale. The terms lager, ale, artisan beer, and bitter beer are defined by the way
the beer is produced.
Interestingly, part of the artisan beer increase is due to the glass it
is served in. The research showed that ‘more than a quarter of beer drinkers
preferred to sip from the classic design in pubs and bars, compared with 16%
for the curvier tulip shape and 14% who liked a traditional glass tankard. Only
11% chose a half pint glass and 10% thought their beer was best served in a
Stella Artois style chalice. According to the research, the tankard could make
a comeback as younger drinkers liked the feel of it and more than a quarter of
18-24 year old men preferred it to any other beer glass.’ Tankards have
handles, which means that drinkers do not hold the body of the beer glass,
which could warm the beer.
The term ‘fallen flat’ also refers to flat beer – which means there is
no carbonation; it has lost its fizz (there are no bubbles – or ‘head’ of froth).
That is something beer drinkers don’t like to see! Flat beer is great for
cooking or rinsing your hair (it makes it shine), but it lowers the quality of
taste significantly (although a few beers are actually made to be flat). What
is interesting about craft beers is that many of the brewers don’t use preservatives.
It does reduce their shelf life, however, so they cannot be stored for as long
as other beers with preservatives (but unlike wine, beer does not get better
with age).
Scorecard for the Mirror
headline is 100%. The use of the double meaning of ‘fallen flat’ – the slump in
sales and the lack of fizz – and the interesting paragraph about beer glass
designs, gives some fizz to the article. And that’s good to see!
MARTINA NICOLLS is the author of:-
The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends
(2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan
Curse (2009).
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