Dollar sales of craft beer declined -4.2%, to more than $596.2 million, year-to-date (YTD) through February 23 in off-premise retailers tracked by market research firm Circana.
Craft volumes YTD were deeper in the red, dropping -5.4% year-over-year (YoY). Those early declines outpaced the overall beer category (-2.7% dollars, -4.5% volume) through the first two months of 2025.
The craft segment holds a 10.26 share of beer category dollars, shedding -0.17 share points thus far this year.
Craft’s dollar sales declines were steepest in the grocery channel (-5%, to more than $323 million), while sales in convenience stores fared slightly better (-2.4%, to more than $217.9 million).
As a reminder, off-premise scans capture only a part of the overall industry data puzzle.
Eleven of the top 30 craft brands increased dollar sales and volume through the first two months of the year in total U.S. multi-outlet and convenience stores tracked by Circana.
Three of the top five best-selling craft brands YTD increased both dollars and volume:
- No. 2 New Belgium Voodoo Ranger Imperial IPA +5% dollars, to $27.5 million; +3.5% volume;
- No. 3 New Belgium Voodoo Ranger Juice Force Hazy Imperial IPA +12.1% dollars, to nearly $24.7 million; +10.1% volume;
- No. 4 Sierra Nevada Hazy Little Things IPA +1.9% dollars, to nearly $17.5 million; +1.5% volume.
Molson Coors’ Blue Moon Belgian White remained the top-selling craft beer in off-premise channels by a nearly $5.8 million margin over Voodoo Ranger Imperial IPA. Nevertheless, Blue Moon remained in the red in both dollars (-4.7%, to nearly $33.3 million) and volume (-6.9%) in early 2025.
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale rounded out the top five, declining -4% in dollars, to $11.56 million, and -5.3% in volume.
Other craft brands in growth in early 2025 included four brands from Anheuser-Busch InBev (A-B), two from Molson Coors, and one each from New Belgium and Cincinnati’s Rhinegeist:
- No. 6 A-B’s Elysian Space Dust IPA +4.5% dollars, to $10.97 million; +4.7% volume;
- No. 9 A-B’s Kona Big Wave golden ale +2.9% dollars, to more than $8.95 million; +0.4% volume;
- No. 11 New Belgium Voodoo Ranger Tropic Force IPA +161.3% dollars, to $8.56 million; +163.2% volume;
- No. 15 A-B’s Goose Island Tropical Beer Hug DDH Double IPA +23.5% dollars, to $6.1 million; +21.6% volume;
- No. 18 A-B’s Wicked Weed Pernicious IPA +25.5% dollars, to nearly $4.5 million; +25.4% volume;
- No. 20 Molson Coors’ Blue Moon Light +5.5% dollars, to $3.95 million; +3.8% volume;
- No. 23 Molson Coors’ Leinenkugel’s Shandy +12.4% dollars, to $3.7 million; +9.7% volume;
- No. 28 Rhinegeist Truth IPA +6% dollars, to nearly $2.9 million; +3.9% volume.
The rest of the top 30, including several legacy craft brands, were in decline:
- No. 7 Shiner Bock -5.6% dollars, to $10.79 million; -4.6% volume;
- No. 8 Heineken’s Lagunitas IPA -8.4% dollars, to $9 million; -11.6% volume;
- No. 10 Boston Beer’s Samuel Adams seasonal -1.9% dollars, to $8.8 million; -3.1% volume;
- No. 12 Firestone Walker 805 -5.8% dollars, to $8 million; – 9.6% volume;
- No. 13 New Belgium’s Bell’s Two Hearted IPA -5%, to $7.7 million; -6.4% volume;
- No. 14 Mahou’s Founders All Day IPA -5.2% dollars, to $7.57 million; -4.2% volume;
- No. 16 Samuel Adams Boston Lager -8.1% dollars, to $5.8 million; -9.3% volume;
- No. 17 Monster’s Cigar City Jai Alai IPA -1.9% dollars, to $5.7 million; -2.8% volume;
- No. 19 Lagunitas A Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ Ale -2.9% dollars, to $4.4 million; -7% volume;
- No. 21 New Belgium Voodoo Ranger Hoppy pack -30.6% dollars, to nearly $3.9 million; -31.3% volume;
- No. 22 New Belgium Voodoo Ranager Juicy Haze IPA -19.2% dollars, to $3.7 million; -19.7% volume;
- No. 24 New Belgium Fat Tire -22% dollars, to $3.3 million; -23.5% volume;
- No. 25 Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA -18% dollars, to $3.25 million; -18.5% volume;
- No. 26 Georgetown Bodhizafa Pale Ale -1.6% dollars, to $3 million; -7.2% volume;
- No. 27 Sierra Nevada Big Little Thing Imperial IPA -5.1% dollars, to $3 million; -6% volume;
- No. 29 A-B’s Goose Island IPA -18.1% dollars, to $2.6 million; -17.5% volume;
- No. 30 New Belgium Voodoo Ranger Fruit Force Hazy Imperial IPA -66.5% dollars, to $2.4 million; -67.2% volume.
In the grocery channel, Stone Brewing IPA and Delicious IPA cracked the top 30 at No. 29 and 30. Stone IPA sales increased +0.6% in dollars ($1.4 million) and +2.7% in volume through the first two months of 2025. Meanwhile, Stone Delicious IPA declined nearly -8% in both dollars and volume.
In c-stores, a couple of brands slipped into the top 30. Fiddlehead IPA was the 27th best-selling craft brand in the channel, growing dollar sales +1% ($1.12 million) and volume +1.4%.
Tilray Brands’ 10 Barrel Pub Lager ranked 30th, despite double-digit declines in dollars (-24.1%) and volume (-25.2%).
Although not classified as craft within Circana’s data set, non-alcoholic beer maker Athletic Brewing continued its double-digit growth trends, growing dollars (+27.3%, to $13.6 million) and volume (+29%).
Athletic’s Run Wild IPA cracked the top 100 overall beer brands, as the 96th best-selling beer brand with more than $6.28 million in dollar sales (+28.7%) and growing volume +31.4%. In Athletic’s strongest channel, grocery, Run Wild was the 46th best-seller overall, with $4.88 million in sales (+25.4%) and volume growth of +28.1%.
Two other Athletic brands – No. 66 Free Wave Hazy IPA and No. 68 Upside Dawn Golden – ranked within the top 100 overall beer brands in grocery, growing dollars and volume double digits.
Free Wave increased dollar sales +24.8%, to $3.5 million, and volume +26.8%, while Upside Dawn posted more than $3.3 million in sales (+28.7%) and grew volume +30.2%.
The average case price of craft beer overall through two months stood at $44.06, an increase of $0.56. In grocery stores, the average price was slightly cheaper at $42.68 (+$.043), whereas in c-stores, the price increased +$0.83, to $48.13.
Across all channels, the top 12 craft styles were all in decline, including craft IPA, which was down -0.6%, to more than $320.865 million, and volume -2%.