Just like the Kansas City Chiefs, draft beer also took an L in Super Bowl LIX.
Draft beer volume declined -4.6% nationwide on Super Bowl Sunday, according to on-premise insights firm BeerBoard.
The decline followed a somewhat disappointing performance last year, when Super Bowl draft volume was flat at +0.34% compared to 2023.
Anheuser-Busch InBev’s Michelob Ultra was the No. 1 beer on draft on Sunday, February 9, at on-premise locations tracked by BeerBoard. It increased volume +11.9% compared to 2024. Sibling brand Bud Light, the official beer of the NFL, was the second-most poured beer on-premise and declined -3% compared to last year, according to BeerBoard.
The remaining top five draft brands were No. 3 Molson Coors’ Miller Lite (+5.4%), No. 4 Constellation Brands’ Modelo Especial (+9.6%) and No. 5 Molson Coors’ Coors Light (+3.4%).
Michelob Ultra, Bud Light and Coors Light each starred in their own nationally broadcast commercials during the game.
Stylistically, light lagers ruled the day and increased volume +5.6% after two years of Super Bowl draft declines. The next two most popular styles both declined in share: No. 2 lagers, -6.5% in share; and No. 3 IPAs, -7.9% in share.
Declines in packaged goods sold on-premise nearly doubled those of draft beer at -9% year-over-year (YoY). As in draft, light lagers were the No. 1 style in package and increased volume +4%, followed by No. 2 lagers (-12.8%).
No. 3 Ready-to-drink (RTD) canned cocktails nearly tripled in volume (+189.7%), followed by No. 4 non-alcoholic beer (+31.8%) and No. 5 European lagers (-2.9%).
Constellation’s Corona Extra was the No. 1 packaged brand again, but posted a -13.4% volume decline. No. 2 Michelob Ultra “grabbed most of that void, jumping an impressive +11.1%,” BeerBoard wrote. Miller Lite was No. 3 (+3.7%), followed by No. 4 Coors Light (-3.5%) and No. 5 Bud Light (-1.2%).
Mark Anthony Brands’ White Claw Black Cherry hard seltzer was the No. 1 brand among fourth category packaged offerings, with a 17.6% share of the segment. However, Stateside Vodka’s Surfside Hard Tea and Lemonade is closing the gap with a 16.6% share.
“Would being based in Philly have anything to do with it?” BeerBoard pondered.
In the spirits category, tequila/mezcal was the largest segment, accounting for 24% of all spirits volume, followed by No. 2 whiskey (21%) and No. 3 vodka (14%).
However, Tito’s Handmade Vodka was the No. 1 spirits brand with a 6.4% share (“notable” -13.5% volume decline) followed by No. 2 Beam Suntory-owned Sauza Hacienda Tequila Gold (+52.1% in volume) and No. 3 Pernod Ricard-owned Jameson Irish Whiskey (+75.8% in volume), according to BeerBoard.
On-Premise in the Host and Home Cities
In New Orleans, Super Bowl LIX host city, draft volume declined -13.7% compared to sales on Super Bowl Sunday in the Big Easy in 2024. Modelo Especial recorded the most growth in the host city, increasing volume +32.5% YoY.
In the champion Philadelphia Eagles’ hometown, draft volume increased +33.4%, led by No. 1 Miller Lite, which accounted for more than one-third (+34.3%) of all draft beer consumed, a +15.6% YoY increase.
Things were less rosy in the losing Chiefs’ home market, BeerBoard noted.
“Fatigue has set in for fans in Kansas City (at least in the on-premise),” BeerBoard wrote. “Making its fifth appearance in the Big Game in the past six years, Kansas City’s draft volume was down a significant -18.5% when compared to 2024.”
Still, A-B’s Busch Light was the city’s biggest winner with a +145% increase in volume YoY, according to BeerBoard.