Beer intake doubles

Photo / Dean Purcell

New Zealanders drank twice as much beer last month as usual.

As they wound up for the holidays, it became clear not all beers are equal - popularity rests heavily on the region in which the beer is drunk. It can be a mark of pride to be a Lion Red-swilling Northlander or a Speight's Southern man.

And if you're in Auckland, you're more likely to drink a "premium" beer with a foreign name.

Hospitality Association boss Bruce Robertson also said people at a bar would often try to impress others with a more expensive drop than if they were at home.