According to a new Gallup poll, beer's lead over wine and spirits has returned to double-digits for the first time since 2002, particularly among adults between the ages of 30 and 49 who tried wine for a few years then shifted back to beer.

The annual Consumption Habits poll, released Friday through Gallup's Web site, shows that in combined data from Gallup's 2004 and 2005 Consumption surveys, drinkers between the ages of 30 and 49 were about as likely to prefer wine as beer. Now, drinkers in this age bracket have shifted back to beer, with an average of 47 percent in the combined 2007-2008 data saying they most often drink beer. Drinking preferences among adults ages 21-29 have remained stable in recent years, with the majority showing a wide preference for beer. "This poll shows what we've always known -- that trends will come and go but beer is here to stay," said Bob Lachky, executive vice president, Global Industry and Creative Development for Anheuser-Busch, Inc. and leader of "Here's To Beer," a two-year-old campaign that toasts Americans' appreciation for beer. "More Americans are learning -- or re-learning -- how to appreciate the wide variety of beer styles available and how easy it is to pair beer with all types of food, which is also attracting new adult consumers to the beer category."

Beer continues to represent the largest segment in the alcohol beverage category in volume and dollar sales, accounting for 56 percent of all alcohol beverage servings.

I had a sneaky suspicion a few years ago that all of my male friends that were starting to drink wine instead of beer would eventually make their way back home to Beersville, U.S.A. And I'm pleased to say I was right in most cases.

Go visit www.herestobeer.com for more info on the world of beer.

See you next time with more fun from behind bars!

—T-Bone