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Canadians are blessed with more microbreweries than ever — more than 1,000 at last count — but we don’t seem to be as enamoured by the amber brew any more, according to a new report by a food analyst.

“Only 15 years ago, beer accounted for 50 per cent of all sales of alcohol. That number is now below 38 per cent, according to AC Nielson,” wrote Dr Sylvain Charlebois, professor and senior director at Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University in a new report this morning.

“As consumers are moving away from beer, the industry is left wondering what the future holds for this very important sector of the economy,” Charlebois said, noting that beer demand fell 4 per cent in 2019 — the largest reduction since Prohibition.

The analyst believes younger consumers are more interested in “ready-to-drink mixes like vodka-and-soda” and not as attached to a cold one as the older generation that cherishes its stouts, hops and suds.