A quarter of Gen Zs put ICE in their beer, bizarre new poll finds

WATCH: Gen Z drinking trends explained by Tory councillor - WATCH

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GB NEWS

Sophie Little

By Sophie Little


Published: 02/09/2025

- 07:59

'Nothing whatsoever is sacred in the modern world. Ice in lager? Go figure,' JD Wetherspoon founder Sir Tim Martin jabbed

More than a quarter of British Gen Zs put ice in their beer in summer, according to a new poll.

Youths tend to place ice in lagers to keep them cool - but some have also been known to put cool cubes in their ales.


The survey also suggested numbers could be even higher if not for peer pressure to drink beer as it's served.

One in 10 youngsters said they wanted to put ice cubes in their beer, but feared the reaction of friends and family.

Beers

Putting ice in beer is becoming more popular among young people

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GETTY

One in five of the 2,000 beer drinkers surveyed by LG Electronics said they had been told off by friends, family or bar staff for requesting ice in their beer.

Red wine "on the rocks" is also much more popular among young people, with 35 per cent of Gen Z drinkers taking their wine iced, compared to just 10 per cent of all pub-goers.

It is thought that the "ice in beer" fad has arrived in Britain from Europe, where hotter summers mean ice is needed in drinks to keep them at a reasonable temperature.

However, not everyone is so sure about the trend.

MORE GEN Z MADNESS:

Red wine with ice

Red wine 'on the rocks' is also much more popular among young people than the rest of the population

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GETTY

Phil Inzani, manager of the Polo Bar, one of London’s last remaining 24-hour establishments, said: "When it has been really hot, people have asked for ice in their lager but this is not something I see becoming a trend.

"If anything, the main trend we notice among young people is decreasing sales of alcohol."

At the end of last year, a report said that post-work socials should be replaced by "virtual" or sober events in order to be more inclusive to the change in "Gen Z" attitudes.

Earlier this year, Government data seemed to suggest that the decrease in drinking correlated to an increase in Gen Zs taking party drugs such as ketamine and MDMA.

Tim Martin

'Nothing whatsoever is sacred in the modern world. Ice in lager? Go figure,' JD Wetherspoon founder Sir Tim Martin jabbed

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PA

JD Wetherspoon founder Sir Tim Martin said: "The old shibboleths are going up in smoke: Guinness, the old man's drink for a century, has become first-choice among Gen Zers, male and female.

"Before that, an Irish bottled cider [Magners] - over ice, for Pete's sake - became number one in its category in the UK."

"Nothing whatsoever is sacred in the modern world. Ice in lager? Go figure, as our American cousins say," he told The Telegraph.

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