Brewers gear up for Jubilee with commemorative ales Brown ale, milk stout, mild and Burton ale were the drinks of choice in the 1950s but are now niche tipples at best. While three-quarters of all beer sold today is lager, the drink accounted for less than 1 per cent of the beer market 60 years ago. Ms Simmonds said: "When it comes to celebrating a great occasion, beer and pubs have so much to offer that says something special about being British. With so many great Jubilee beers on sale, I hope people visit their local to raise a glass to the Queen. There are also commercial reasons for the proliferation of royal beers. Beer sales have been falling on an industry-wide level since the late 1990s. Figures from the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) show that annual beer sales have fallen from 34.7 million barrels in 1998 to 26.7 million barrels last year. While real ale sales have held up far better than lager sales, and have even been growing in recent years, brewers are having to do all they can to tempt cash-strapped consumers into pubs. Paul Sullivan, sales and marketing director at Wiltshire-based brewer Wadworth, said that the company has produced beers to commemorate two coronations and all the Jubilees over the last 125 years. This year, Wadworth has produced two ales: Red, White & Brew and Queen's Jubilee Ale. The company has received orders for thousands of firkins of the ale. You need to give people something different and a reason to go down to the pub. The Jubilee is the perfect reason," said Mr Sullivan. Meanwhile Marston's, the brewer and pub company, has launched three Jubilee beers. We are hoping for an increase in sales. Overall the beer market is down but premium bottled ale is growing at 10 per cent," said James Coyle, Marston's marketing director. A spokesman for the BBPA said: "There have been huge changes in the beer market since 1952. I am sure many people will have a nostalgic pint to toast the Queen.