Industry news: Beer back on top

Gallup poll shows wine's No. 1 rating in 2005 a fluke

Beer has resumed its position as America's favorite alcoholic beverage.

According to a 2006 survey by Gallup, 41% of American drinkers surveyed said they drink beer most often, 33% said they prefer wine and 23% liquor.

In a 2005 Gallup survey wine edged beer for the first time ever, 39% to 36%.

Gallup representatives said the exact reasons for changes in preferred alcoholic beverages is unclear, and that 2005's increase in preference for wine may have represented a statistical anomaly or a real, but short-lived, phenomenon.

Gallup found 64% of those polled drink alcoholic beverages, a figure that has changed little over time. Gallup has tracked American drinking habits since 1939.

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