Official statistics show the volume of beer consumed by Australians per capita has slipped to a 62-year low.

Consumption of alcohol data compiled by the Bureau of Statistics reveals the average person consumed 4.56 litres of pure alcohol through beer during 2009-10.

The per-capita volume was at its lowest since it was recorded at 4.52 litres in 1947-48.

By contrast, the highest level was 9.22 litres per person in1974-75.

Consumption of full-strength beer fell in 2009-10, while consumption of mid-strength beer rose slightly.

In contrast, consumption of wine was at an all-time high, with 3.81 litres pure alcohol consumed through wine per person in2009-10.

The average amount of pure alcohol consumed through spirits and pre-mixed drinks has also dropped to two litres, down from a record high of 2.26 litres in 2007-08.

The drop follows the 2008 introduction of the alcopop tax, which raised the price of pre-mixed drinks in an attempt to curb teenage binge drinking.

In total, there were 12.8 million litres of pure alcohol available for consumption in Australia from pre-mixed drinks in 2009-10 compared with 13.1 million litres in the previous year.

Overall, there were 10.4 litres of pure alcohol available for consumption per person aged 15 years and over in 2009-10, the same as in 2008-09.

This equates to around 2.3 standard drinks per person per day. ( http://vinoenology.com )