Circana: 2024 Beer Sales -0.6%, Volume -2.6%; Sales Top $45.65 Billion

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Off-premise total beer category sales topped $45.65 billion in 2024, a -0.6% decline year-over-year (YoY), according to 52-week data through December 29 shared by market research firm Circana. Total beer dollar sales declined more than $268.7 million compared to 2023.

Volume, measured in case sales, declined -2.6% last year. These numbers come with one caveat: They do not cover all off-premise sales or any on-premise sales.

Beer sales in convenience stores, the category’s largest channel, took the biggest hit, with 2024 dollar sales declining -1.1%, to more than $25.6 billion, and volume down -3.7%.

Meanwhile, grocery sales declined -0.4%, to nearly $13.3 billion, with volume falling -2%.

Across multi-outlet and convenience stores, four segments posted both dollar and volume growth:

  • Imports: dollars +3.6%, to more than $11.4 billion; volume +2.1%;
  • Flavored malt beverages (FMBs): dollars +6.3%, to more than $4.75 billion; volume +4.8%;
  • Domestic super premium: dollars +2.1%, to more than $4.35 billion; volume +2.1%;
  • Non-alcoholic (NA) beer: dollars +28.6%, to more than $471 million; volume +23.1%.

All other segments posted both dollar and volume declines, including:

  • Domestic premium: dollars -5.5%, to more than $11.1 billion; volume -7%;
  • Domestic sub-premium: dollars -0.4%, to more than $5.26 billion; volume -2.6%;
  • Craft: dollars -3.3%, to more than $4.6 billion; volume -4.8%;
  • Hard seltzer: dollars -8.6%, to more than $3.1 billion; volume -12%;
  • Hard cider: dollars -1.8%, to more than $490 million; volume -3.1%;
  • Assorted: dollars -33.9%, to more than $17.5 million; volume -34.8%.

Imports gained the most share, growing +1.01 share points, to 25.03% of 2024 beer category dollar sales. Domestic premiums lost the most share, shedding -1.27 points, to 24.33% share.

Craft beer fell to a 10.1% share of beer category dollars, losing -0.29 share points.

A-B Sales Decline $594M YoY, Remains Top Beer Category Vendor

Despite shedding more than $594.6 million in sales YoY, Anheuser-Busch InBev (A-B) remained the top U.S. beer category vendor in 2024 with more than $14 billion in dollar sales (-4% YoY), in Circana-tracked off-premise retailers.

A-B ended 2024 with a 30.88% share of 2024 beer category dollars, a loss of -1.11 share points. The company’s volume declined -5.2% for the year.

Constellation Brands – importer of Modelo, Corona, Pacifico and Victoria – gained the most share (+1.19), giving the company 19.58% share of beer category dollars, making it the No. 2 beer category vendor.

Constellation’s portfolio increased off-premise dollar sales +5.8%, to more than $8.9 billion. The business’ volume grew +4.5%.

Molson Coors ranked as the No. 3 vendor, with 17.99% share of beer category dollar (-0.26%). The company’s sales declined -2%, to more than $8.2 billion, while volume decreased -3.7%, as the company cycled the gains from consumers shifting away from A-B products, particularly Bud Light amid a conservative-led boycott.

Beyond Constellation, six other beer category top 25 vendors achieved dollar and volume growth for full-year 2024:

  • No. 7 Diageo Beer (Guinness): +2% dollars, to $780.53 million; +0.2% volume;
  • No. 8 Kirin-Lion (New Belgium, Bell’s): +9.5% dollars, to more than $699.7 million; +7% volume;
  • No. 12 Sierra Nevada: +4.1% dollars, to more than $336 million; +1.5% volume;
  • No. 13 Geloso Beverage (Clubtails): +10.3% dollars, to more than $284.59 million; +12.1% volume;
  • No. 19 Monster Brewing (Beast, Nasty Beast FMBs): +19.8% dollars, to $120.17 million; +20% volume;
  • No. 24 Athletic Brewing: +63.8% dollars, to more than $93.3 million; +68.3% volume.

Three other top 25 vendors increased dollars, but shed volume:

  • No. 4 Mark Anthony Brands (White Claw, Mike’s, Cayman Jack): +1.5% dollars, to more than $3 billion; -1.7% volume;
  • No. 15 Phusion Projects (Four Loko): +1.7% dollars, to $196.79 million; -0.3% volume;
  • No. 17 Sazerac (Fireball FMB): +0.4%, to $129.58 million; -2.5% volume.

Thirteen other vendors declined in dollars and volume in 2024:

  • No. 5 Boston Beer (Twisted Tea, Truly, Samuel Adams, Dogfish Head): -2.5% dollars, to $2.367 billion; -4.4% volume;
  • No. 6 Heineken USA: -3.3% dollars, to $1.498 billion; -4.6% volume;
  • No. 9 Pabst Brewing: -5.1% dollars, to $563.767 million; -4.7% volume;
  • No. 10 D.G. Yuengling & Son: -6.4% dollars, to $492.98 million; -7.4% volume;
  • No. 11 FIFCO USA: -7.8% dollars, to $350.889 million; -8.8% volume;
  • No. 14 Tilray Brands: -14.7% dollars, to $215.98 million; -14.6% volume;
  • No. 16 Heineken-owned Lagunitas: -6.4% dollars, to $142.795 million; -10% volume;
  • No. 18 Gambrinus (Shiner): -4.2% dollars, to more than $125.5 million; -4.8% volume;
  • No. 20 Mahou USA (Founders, Avery): -1.1% dollars, to more than $112.25 million; -2% volume;
  • No. 21 Artisanal Brewing Ventures (Victory, Southern Tier, Sixpoint, Bold Rock): -5.8% dollars, to $106.29 million; -6.3% volume;
  • No. 22 Duvel-owned Firestone Walker: -2.1% dollars, to more than $105.5 million; -4.8% volume;
  • No. 23 Sapporo-Stone: -2.6% dollars, to $100.758 million; -3.2% volume;
  • No. 25 Monster-owned CANarchy Craft Brewery Collective: -6.8% dollars, to $83.688 million; -8.6% volume.

Modelo Especial Top-Selling Beer in 2024; Bud Light Maintains Volume Lead

Constellation Brands’ Modelo Especial was the top-selling beer in 2024, with more than $4.3 billion in dollar sales (+7.9%), followed by Michelob Ultra, with nearly $3.5 billion in sales (+4.5%).

Bud Light closed 2024 with more than $3.3 billion in dollars sales (-12.1% YoY) and a -13.4% decline in volume. Even with those losses, Bud Light was the No. 1 brand by case share (8.94%), followed by Modelo Especial (8.02%) and Michelob Ultra (7.91%).

Molson Coors’ top brands Coors Light (-1.9% dollars, to nearly $2.7 billion) and Miller Lite (-1.6%, to $2.43 billion) both finished 2024 in the red. Volume declined -3.5% for both brands.

However, a bright spot for Molson Coors was Coors Banquet, which grew dollar sales (+15.8, to more than $445.1 million) and volume (+13.4%) double-digits in 2024, making it the No. 12 overall beer brand in the off-premise.

Corona Extra finished the year flat, with nearly $2.5 million in sales, increasing dollar sales by $876,548 in Circana-tracked off-premise channels. The brand declined -1.7% in volume YoY.

A-B’s Budweiser brand declined -6.3% in dollar sales, to nearly $1.5 billion, with volume declining -8.1%. Economy brand Busch Light increased sales +7.5%, to $1.367 million in sales, and volume +4.8%.

Boston Beer’s top brand, Twisted Tea Original, declined slightly (-0.4%, to more than $521.2 million), with volume slipping -2.6%.

Two Twisted Tea packs’ gains more than offset those losses: Twisted Tea Half & Half (+13% dollars, to more than $278.9 million; +10.9% volume) and Twisted Tea Party Pack (+17% dollars, to more than $260.3 million; +14.4% volume).

Modelo Top Brand Family in Sales, Bud Declines Double Digits

Constellation’s Modelo brand family finished 2024 as the No. 1 brand family by dollar sales, with nearly $5.2 billion in sales (+7.9%) and volume growth of +6.9%. Modelo now holds 11.38% share of beer category dollars (+0.89 share points). Modelo’s sales growth amounted to more than $378.976 million more in sales compared to 2023.

A-B’s Bud family declined -10.3% in dollars, to nearly $4.9 billion in sales. Despite shedding -11.8% in volume YoY, Bud remained the No. 1 beer brand by volume, with a 13.04 case share of beer compared to Modelo’s 9.4 share.

The Michelob brand family ranked third, growing dollars +3.6%, to more than $3.72 billion, and volume +3.3%. The increase in sales amounted to more than $127.8 million more in sales YoY.

The biggest growth drivers within the top 25 brand families were:

  • Twisted Tea: +11.1% dollars, to $1.32 billion (a $132.36 million YoY gain); +9.1% volume;
  • New Belgium: +5.6% dollars, to more than $558.657 million (a $29.8 million YoY gain); +2.4% volume;
  • Pacifico: +24% dollars, to more than $434.65 million (an $84.18 million YoY gain); +22.7% volume;
  • Cayman Jack: +18.1% dollars, to more than $279. 2 million (a $42.69 million YoY gain); +16.7% volume.

Brand families posting the steepest sales declines YoY included:

  • Miller Lite family: -1.6% dollars, to $24.3 billion (a nearly $40.4 million YoY decline); -3.5% volume;
  • A-B’s Natural brand family: -1.8% dollars, to more than $1.3 billion (a more than $23.85 million YoY decline); -3.9% volume;
  • Heineken: -3.2% dollars, to nearly $841.7 (a nearly $28 million decline YoY); -5.2% volume.
  • Truly Hard Seltzer family: -20.1% dollars, to $598.453 million (a more than $150.78 million YoY decline); -21.8% volume;
  • Bud specialty family: -9% dollars, to nearly $456.3 million (a nearly $45 million YoY decline); -10.2% volume;
  • Dos Equis family: -4.2% dollars, to $417.68 million (a nearly $18.5 million YoY decline); -3.7% volume;
  • Yuengling family: -10.5% dollars, to $399.38 million (a $46.9 million YoY decline); -11.6% volume;
  • Stella Artois family: -4.1% dollars, to $369.48 million (a -$15.7 million YoY decline); -5.9% volume;
  • Molson Coors’ Blue Moon family: -7.4% dollars, to more than $301.7 million (a nearly $24 million YoY decline); -9.4% volume.