Thirst for craft beers cheers the breweries

It started modestly nearly 30 years ago – before the term "microbrewery" was even coined – in a disused chicken shed at the back of a tiny Victorian pub in rural Suffolk.

Now, from its three brews a week in the winter season, the Earl Soham Brewery produces 45 barrels – the equivalent of nearly 13,000 pints – every week, including the coveted Victoria bitter, which is the favourite tipple of local boy turned rock star Ed Sheeran.

At the brewery's new premises in Debenham – where in the early afternoon the Heath Robinson-style maze of metal chutes, pipes and tanks has just completed the daily brew – there is a vague whiff of the old-fashioned malt and hops that are the key ingredients in the brewery's popular range of five cask beers.

Its co-owner, John Bjornson, explains how his best-selling "light, hoppy and bitter" Victoria has been brewed using a mixture of local malts to creative a distinctive flavour, with English First Gold and Sovereign hops.

British drinkers' thirst for such artisan and craft beers appears to be unquenchable. Sales of the brews rose by 8% last year to an estimated 1.55m barrels, according to a new report from the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA). It said that chancellor George Osborne's decision to scrap the controversial beer duty escalator last year had helped to boost the sector.

Separate figures confirm that British beer tastes are changing. In a huge shift, demand for lager, which has dominated the UK beer market for nearly 50 years, is falling, while sales of stronger-tasting ale and stout continue to grow as they win over an increasing number of converts.

The latest figures from the retail analysts Kantar show that, year on year, sales of ales in off-licences and supermarkets grew by 4% and demand for stout was up by nearly 4%, while sales of lager fell by nearly 4%.

Marston's, the brewing giant that includes Banks's, Brakspear, Jennings and Ringwood, has responded to consumer demand with a range of seasonal ales for 2014 called "revisionist beers", which will sit alongside its main brands.

The collection has been launched through Tesco. The range has been given its name because Marston's gave five regional breweries free rein to revise its popular styles and give them a distinctly individual new twist.

The range includes a Belgian pale golden beer and a dark India pale ale, influenced by US styles.

Tesco's ale buyer, Chiara Nesbitt, said: "The UK beer market is undergoing its biggest change since canned lager was first introduced here in the 1960s and these days there are more choices available for drinkers than ever before.

"For the beer novice, a trip down a beer aisle these days can be as daunting as seeking out a good wine, which is why we have worked with Marston's to launch a range of easily identifiable brews."

The current change could be daunting, she said: "Ten years ago we had about 30 bottled beers and some of our bigger stores would perhaps have stocked what was then considered exotic world brews, such as San Miguel. But nowadays, UK beer drinkers have become more discerning, which is why we now stock more than 300 bottles of ales and carry a whole range of specialist world beers."

Paul Charity, managing director of sector specialist Propel Info, said the trend away from lager and towards ale was also being seen in pubs and hotels. "Consumers are searching out new and unusual flavours and are increasingly interested in authenticity, which in the world of beer means brewed locally or using traditional methods or ingredients."

John Bjornson agreed, saying that while his brewery supplies about 200 pubs in East Anglia, he sees the greatest growth potential in its bottled beers, which are currently sold through local farmers' markets. "Consumers can buy our beers for just £2.35 for a 500ml bottle (just short of a pint) compared with £3 from the pump. For some people, it may be more attractive than going into a pub, he said.