It was either the luck of the Irish, an aligning of stars or just excellent planning that had both St. Patrick’s Day and the opening weekend of March Madness falling on a Friday this year.
This confluence of events resulted in draft volume increasing +20.8% over 2022, and +81.3% over 2021 — “up significantly,” according to on-premise data firm BeerBoard.
“St. Patrick’s Day is officially back and finally put the bumpiness of COVID in the rear-view mirror once and for all,” BeerBoard said in its annual St. Patrick’s Day draft report.
Week-over-week, draft volume on March 17 was +45% higher than the previous Friday, BeerBoard noted.
Propelled by Irish import Guinness, stouts benefitted from a festive boost on St. Patrick’s Day.
“Typically ranked No. 11 on the list of top styles, stouts checked in [at] No. 4 for the holiday (even though volume returns were up a nominal +1.6% nationally),” BeerBoard wrote. Guinness, the top-poured stout and typically sitting just outside the top 10 brands, climbed to the No. 6 brand for the day.”
Guinness was the most poured beer in New York City, Chicago and BeerBoard’s hometown of Syracuse, New York. In Chicago and New York City, Guinness jumped several spots to become the top draft offering this year. It was No. 3 in New York City and No. 5 in Chicago in 2022.
New York City (+53.3%) and Chicago (+36%) both recorded double-digit increases in draft volume on the holiday compared to 2022. Syracuse’s draft volume increased +4.2% over last year.
Nationwide, light lager was the best-selling style on draft, but the segment’s volume declined -1.5% compared to 2022, a BeerBoard spokesperson told Brewbound. Lagers were the second best-selling style on draft by volume, and increased volume by +10% over last year. In 2022, lagers’ draft volume increased +74% compared to 2021. At No. 3, IPA’s draft volume increased +5% compared to last year.