Top beer vendors continued to post a mixed bag of results heading into the final month of 2024, according to the most recent report from off-premise market research firm Circana.
Nine of the top 25 beer vendors by year-to-date (YTD) dollar sales recorded year-over-year (YoY) dollar sales growth in the last four weeks (ending December 1) in Circana-tracked off-premise channels (multi-outlet plus convenience):
- No. 2 Constellation Brands, dollar sales +6.5% YoY, volume +4.6%;
- No. 4 Mark Anthony Brands, dollar sales +4.3%, volume +1.8%;
- No. 7 Diageo, dollar sales +4%, volume +1.4%;
- No. 8 Kirin-Lion, dollar sales +3.3%, volume +1.1%;
- No. 12 Sierra Nevada Brewing, dollar sales +5.9%, volume +4.7%;
- No. 13 Geloso Beverage Group, dollar sales +8.1%, volume +9.6%;
- No. 20 Mahou USA, dollar sales +1.5%, volume +1.2%;
- No. 22 Duvel USA-owned Firestone Walker, dollar sales +1.7%, volume -1.2%;
- And No. 24 Athletic Brewing, dollar sales +46.2%, volume +50.8%.
Of those nine brands, six recorded accelerated growth versus their YTD trends, including Mahou and Firestone Walker, which are both negative YTD: Mahou dollar sales -1.2%, volume -2.1% YTD; Firestone Walker dollar sales -2.7%, volume -5.2% YTD.
Others to record YoY growth and improve versus YTD trends include:
- Constellation Brands, dollar sales +6.4% YTD, volume +5.2%;
- Mark Anthony Brands, dollar sales +1.6%, volume -1.6%;
- Diageo, dollar sales +2.4%, volume +0.6%;
- And Sierra Nevada, dollar sales +4%, volume +1.3%.
No. 1 Anheuser-Busch InBev (A-B) recorded flat dollar sales in the L4W, while volume declined -1.1%. The company is continuing to battle declines from Bud Light, which accelerated in 2023 due to a conservative-led boycott of the brand following an influencer promotion by Dylan Mylvaney, a trans woman. However, A-B has recently been able to counter the declines with growth from Michelob Ultra and Busch Light. YTD, A-B dollar sales have declined -4.1% and volume -5.3%.
Fifteen of the top 25 vendors recorded YoY dollar sales declines in the L4W:
- No. 3 Molson Coors, dollar sales -2.3%, volume -4.3%;
- No. 5 Boston Beer Company, dollar sales -0.4%, volume -2.3%;
- No. 6 Heineken, dollar sales -1.1%, volume -2.3%;
- No. 9 Pabst Brewing, dollar sales -4.4%, volume -4.7%;
- No. 10 D.G. Yuengling & Son, dollar sales -13.6%, volume -14.5%;
- No. 11 FIFCO USA, dollar sales -4.6%, volume -6.4%;
- No. 14 Tilray Brands, dollar sales -17.1%, volume -18.9%;
- No. 15 Phusion Projects, dollar sales -5%, volume -7.2%;
- No. 16 Heineken-owned Lagunitas, dollar sales -7.1%, volume -10.6%;
- No. 17 Sazerac, dollar sales -2.4%, volume -5%;
- No. 18 The Grambrinus Company, dollar sales -1.4%, volume +1%;
- No. 19 Monster Brewing, dollar sales -8.2%, volume -6.6%;
- No. 21 Artisanal Brewing Ventures (ABV), dollar sales -2.3%, volume -3.8%;
- No. 23 Sapporo USA, dollar sales -5.5%, volume -6.2%;
- And No. 25 CANarchy, dollar sales -1.7%, volume -2%.
Note: Monster Beverage Corporation’s bev-alc business – including its craft beer portfolio CANarchy (Cigar City, Oskar Blues, Deep Ellum Perrin Brewing, Squatters and Wasatch), which it acquired in 2022 – was rebranded as Monster Brewing earlier this year. However, Circana still separates Monster’s brands in scans, with “Monster Brewing” consisting of only data for flavored malt beverage brands Beast (formerly The Beast Unleashed) and Nasty Beast.
Total beer dollar sales improved YoY in the last four weeks (+1.1%), while the category’s collective volume was down (-0.9%). YTD beer dollar sales are nearly flat (-0.4%), while volume is down -2.4%.
Along with the previously mentioned YTD trends for Constellation, Mark Anthony, Diageo and Sierra Nevada, six other top vendors are in the black YTD:
- Kirin-Lion, dollar sales +10.1%, volume +7.5%;
- Geloso, dollar sales +10.5%, volume +12.2%;
- Phusion Projects, dollar sales +2.6%, volume +0.6%;
- Sazerac, dollar sales +0.9%, volume -2.2%;
- Monster, dollar sales +22.9%, volume +22.9%;
- And Athletic, dollar sales +66.6%, volume +71.4%.
Beyond A-B, Mahou and Firestone Walker, 12 other top vendors are in the red YTD:
- Molson Coors, dollar sales -1.8%, volume -3.4%;
- Boston Beer, dollar sales -2.2%, volume -4.2%;
- Heineken, dollar sales -3%, volume -4.4%;
- Pabst, dollar sales -4.8%, volume -4.4%;
- Yuengling, dollar sales -5.8%, volume -6.9%;
- FIFCO, dollar sales -7.6%, volume -8.5%;
- Tilray, dollar sales -14.4%, volume -14.1%;
- Lagunitas, dollar sales -6.3%, volume -9.9%;
- Gambrinus, dollar sales -3.9%, volume -4.7%;
- ABV, dollar sales -5.9%, volume -6.5%;
- Sapporo, dollar sales -2.2%, volume -2.8%;
- And CANarchy, dollar sales -6.8%, volume -8.5%.
Despite continued declines, seven of those 12 vendors improved trends in the L4W versus YTD, including Boston Beer, Heineken, Pabst, FIFCO, Phusion Projects, Gambrinus, ABV and CANarchy (see aforementioned L4W figures).
Four vendors did not make the top 25 in multi-outlet plus convenience channels, but did pop in the convenience channel and/or grocery.
In c-stores, AriZona Beverages ranks No. 19 by YTD dollar sales, which have increased +137% YTD, while volume has increased +130.4%. The triple-digit growth is comping the first year of AriZona Premium Spiked Beverage, the company’s hard tea challenger. In the last four weeks (ending December 1), AriZona dollar sales have increased +11.8% and volume +9.6% YoY.
Also popping in c-stores is hard seltzer and hard tea maker Happy Dad, which ranks No. 20 by YTD c-store dollar sales. The company has increased dollar sales +84.3% and volume +85.9% YTD. However, in the L4W, dollar sales (-7.6%) and volume (-7.8%) have declined.
Happy Dad also ranks among the top 25 vendors in grocery, ranking No. 23. Unlike in c-stores, Happy Dad has recorded growth in grocery both YTD and in the L4W: dollar sales +47.8% YTD and +56% YoY in the L4W; volume +48.9% YTD and +59.3% YoY in the L4W.
Two other vendors appeared in grocery, but not in the top 25 for c-stores or multi-outlets:
- No. 22 Deschutes Brewery (L4W dollar sales +1.1%, volume -4.2%; YTD dollar sales -7.3%, volume -10.4%);
- No. 24 Prestige Beverage Group (L4W dollar sales +22%, volume +21.5%; YTD dollar sales +57.3%, volume +56.7%).
Total beer is in the red YTD in both c-stores and grocery, but was in the black in the L4W. C-store dollar sales declined -0.9% and volume -3.4% YTD, while dollar sales increased +1.6% and volume +0.1% in the L4W. Grocery beer dollar sales declined -0.3% and volume -1.9% YTD, while dollar sales increased +0.2% and volume declined -2.3% in the L4W.