With this year’s Super Bowl teams just determined, another type of competition is brewing in homes, supermarkets and liquor store aisles across the country: which beers should we buy for Super Bowl Sunday? Market research company, Mintel, Chicago, dissected people’s beer-drinking habits to see which brands are most likely to come home victorious.

Domestic vs. imported
Chugging down an ice-cold beer during the game is an all-American pastime, and it turns out many Americans opt for domestic beers over imported brands. Nearly half of Mintel’s beer-drinking survey respondents (44 percent) said they prefer domestic beer, with another 13 percent saying their preference lies with domestic microbrews or craft beers. Only 24 percent said they prefer to drink imported beer. What’s behind this preference? Taste and loyalty: 42 percent say domestic “just tastes better” than imported, and 53 percent report being “very loyal” to domestic beer.
 
Light vs. regular
Health and diet trends encouraging people to consume fewer calories have struck a chord with beer drinkers. Nearly a quarter of domestic beer drinkers (24 percent) say they drink light beer all the time, while another 26 percent say they drink it most of the time. But for imported beer, the tables turn: 91 percent of imported beer drinkers say they drink regular compared to only 37 percent who drink light or low-calorie imported beer.
 
Men vs. women
Men definitely dominate the beer world: 60 percent drink it compared to only 36 percent of women (who are more likely to drink spirits or wine). Over half of men (51 percent) say they look for full flavored brews, compared to 42 percent of women who seek out lighter flavored beers. Men are also less interested in low calorie beer (21 percent) than women (33 percent).
 
For more information on Mintel, visit www.mintel.com.