Circana: A-B Nearly Flat in L4W; Athletic Surpasses CANarchy in YTD Scans

State of BevAlc Report: Non-Alc Gaining Share of Sip, BevAlc Losing Displays

Although beer has started to get a summer boost, producer and brand performances within the category were mixed in the last four weeks, according to the latest off-premise scans report from market research firm Circana.

Anheuser-Busch InBev (A-B), the No. 1 beer vendor despite a tumultuous 15+ months, still recorded one of the largest dollar sales declines (-7.3%) in Circana-tracked channels year-to-date (YTD), through June 16. However, dollar sales trends have been steadily improving against last year’s double-digit declines and were nearly flat in the last four weeks (-0.8%), slightly below trends for total beer in the period (dollar sales -0.5%).

Bud Light, the No. 2 beer brand in multi-outlet plus convenience stores, improved dollar sales declines from -8.6% in the previous four-week period (ending May 19), to -6.1% in the L4W. Its sibling brand, No. 3 Michelob Ultra, also continued to record YoY increases, with dollar sales +6.8% and volume +6.2% in the L4W.

No. 2 beer vendor Constellation Brands has continued to build on the growth it recorded in 2023, following the conservative-led boycott of Bud Light and other A-B-owned brands, with dollar sales increasing +7.4% and volume +6.4% year-over-year (YoY) in the L4W.

Constellation’s Modelo Especial remains the No. 1 beer brand in YTD dollar sales. The brand improved its YoY growth from the previous four-week period, with dollar sales increasing +10.4% YoY and volume +10.1% (dollar sales +9.6% and volume +9% in the previous period). Its sibling brand, No. 6 Corona Extra, also improved trends and returned to the black, with dollar sales increasing +1.7% in the L4W (previously -0.6%).

While Constellation has been able to maintain growth, No. 3 beer vendor Molson Coors has not, despite also benefiting from A-B’s initial declines. Dollar sales for the beer giant declined -6.4% YoY in the L4W, while volume declined -7.7%. However, trends improved slightly from the previous four-week period (dollar sales -7.1%, volume -8.3%).

Molson Coors’ Coors Light, the fourth largest brand by dollar sales in Circana-tracked channels, recorded a -8% YoY decline in dollar sales and -9% in volume in the L4W, an acceleration in declines versus the previous four-week period (dollar sales -7.5%, volume -8.8%). No. 5 Miller Lite remained in the red (dollar sales -5.2%, volume -6.9%), but improved over previous four-week numbers (dollar sales -7.4%, volume -8.9%).

Among the other top 25 beer vendors, non-alcoholic beer maker Athletic Brewing recorded the largest gains with dollar sales increasing +76.6%, to nearly $7.96 million, in the four-week period, and +77.7% YTD, to $39.98 million. Athletic also passed Monster-owned CANarchy in YTD dollar sales, to become the No. 24 largest beer vendor.

While Monster rebranded its bev-alc business, including its craft portfolio CANarchy, to be under the Monster Brewing name earlier this year, Circana still separates the two entities in its scan data.

Monster passed Shiner-maker Gambrinus in the latest scans, to become the 18th largest beer category vendor YTD, with dollar sales increasing +5.5% YoY in the L4W and +81.2% YTD. Still, Monster’s YoY gains were significantly below the growth it recorded in the previous four-week period, when dollar sales increased +30%. Gambrinus dollar sales declined -8.4% YoY in the L4W, and -2.6% YTD.

Beyond the aforementioned companies, seven other top 25 vendors recorded YoY dollar sales gains in the L4W:

No. 4 Mark Anthony Brands (dollar sales +1.8%, volume -1.8%);
No. 7 Diageo (dollar sales +0.6%, volume -1.3%);
No. 8 Kirin-Lion (dollar sales +9%, volume +6.4%);
No. 12 Sierra Nevada (dollar sales +5.8%, volume +2.9%);
No. 13 Geloso Beverage (dollar sales +11.3%, volume +14.2%);
No. 14 Phusion Projects (dollar sales +2.7%, volume +1%);
No. 17 Sazerac (dollar sales +2.7%, volume -1%).

Of the remaining vendors, four recorded double-digit declines:

No. 9 Pabst Brewing (dollar sales -11%, volume -11.1%);
No. 10 D.G. Yuengling & Son (dollar sales -13.7%, volume -15.3%);
No. 11 FIFCO USA (dollar sales -10.5%, volume -11.2%);
No. 15 Tilray Brands (dollar sales -10.5%, volume -7.6%).

Craft: New Belgium Growth Deceleration Continues

Four of the top five beer brands in Circana-tracked channels improved YoY trends in the L4W versus the previous four-week period:

No. 1 Molson Coors’ Blue Moon, dollar sales -3.7% (previously -6.8%);
No. 3 New Belgium’s Voodoo Ranger Imperial IPA, dollar sales +6.7% (previously +4%);
No. 4 Sierra Nevada Hazy Little Thing, dollar sales +9.8% (previously +6.4%);
No. 5 Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, dollar sales -3.2% (previously -8.5%).

The only one to not improve trends was No. 2 New Belgium’s Voodoo Ranger Juice Force, with dollar sales increasing +9.8% YoY, versus +17.1% in the previous period.

Kirin-owned New Belgium and its sibling company Bell’s Brewery have eight other brands in the top 30. Seven of those eight brands were in decline YoY in the L4W, and four recorded an acceleration in dollar sales declines versus the previous four-week period:

No. 14 Bell’s Two Hearted dollar sales -5.6% YoY (-1.7% in the previous four-week period);
No. 15 Voodoo Ranger Fruit Force -23.5% (previously -19.3%);
No. 19 Voodoo Ranger Hoppy Pack -18.5% (previously -19.7%);
No. 23 Voodoo Ranger Juicy Haze -20.4% (previously -19.5%);
No. 24 Fat Tire -26.8% (previously -29.9%);
No. 27 Voodoo Ranger IPA -14% (previously -17.5%);
No. 28 Bell’s Seasonal -12.2% (previously -8.8%).

No. 17 Voodoo Ranger Tropic Force does not yet have YoY comps.

Voodoo Ranger Fruit Force also recorded the second-largest loss of dollar sales YoY, with dollar sales declining by more than $1 million versus the same four-week period in 2023. No. 8 Leinenkugel’s Shandy Seasonal recorded the largest dollar sales loss (-$2.45 million), with dollar sales declining -17% and volume -20% YoY.

Beyond Voodoo Ranger imperial IPA and Sierra Nevada Hazy Little Thing, four other brands in the craft top 30 recorded YoY gains in the L4W:

No. 7 A-B’s Kona Big Wave (dollar sales +15.7%, volume +17.4%);
No. 16 Boston Beer’s Samuel Adams Seasonal (dollar sales +8.6%, volume +8.5%);
No. 20 A-B’s Goose Island Tropical Beer Hug (dollar sales +21.5%, volume +16.8%);
No. 26 A-B’s Wicked Weed Pernicious IPA (dollar sales +13.8%, volume +10.7%).

All other top 30 craft brands were in decline:

No. 6 Gambrinus’ Shiner Bock (dollar sales -11.7%, volume -13%);
No. 9 A-B’s Elysian Space Dust IPA (dollar sales -7.1%, volume -8.1%);
No. 10 Heineken’s Lagunitas IPA (dollar sales -7.1%, volume -8.1%);
No. 11 Firestone Walker 805 (dollar sales -6.7%, volume -10.6%);
No. 13 Founders All Day IPA (dollar sales -6.8%, volume -7.4%);
No. 16 Samuel Adams Boston Lager (dollar sales -7.5%, volume -5.4%);
No. 18 Monster’s Cigar City Jai Alai (dollar sales -1.7%, volume -2.7%);
No. 21 Molson Coors’ Blue Moon Light (dollar sales -3.1%, volume -4.8%);
No. 22 Lagunitas Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’ (dollar sales -9.7%, volume -14%);
No. 25 Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA (dollar sales -10.6%, volume -13.6%);
No. 29 A-B’s Goose Island IPA (dollar sales -16.2%, volume -21.2%);
No. 30 Sierra Nevada Big Little Thing (dollar sales -10.3%, volume -10.3%).

In grocery, Georgetown Brewing’s Bodhizafa IPA fell out of the top 30 YTD, despite consistently recording double-digit YoY growth, including dollar sales +10% and volume +12.8% in the previous four-week period. The brand was bumped by Sierra Nevada Seasonal, which also passed Voodoo Ranger IPA to rank No. 29, with dollar sales increasing +12.7% and volume +6.4% in the L4W.

Other movement within the top 30 craft in grocery included Tropic Force, which rose from No. 29 to No. 27, with more than $4.98 million in dollar sales in grocery YTD. Meanwhile, its sibling brand Voodoo Ranger IPA fell two spots, with dollar sales declining -6.7% YoY and volume -5.2%.

Eight other brands within the top 30 recorded YoY dollar sales gains in grocery:

No. 2 Voodoo Ranger Imperial IPA (dollar sales +2.4%, volume -0.2%);
No. 4 Sierra Nevada Hazy Little Thing IPA (dollar sales +6.4%, volume +7.8%);
No. 5 Voodoo Ranger Juice Force (dollar sales +5.2%, volume +3.8%);
No. 7 Sam Adams Seasonal (dollar sales +22.3%, volume +21.5%);
No. 9 Kona Big Wave (dollar sales +17.2%, volume +15.1%);
No. 17 Blue Moon Light (dollar sales +2.7%, volume +0.2%);
No. 19 Cigar City Jai Alai (dollar sales +3.3%, volume +1.7%);
No. 25 Wicked Weed Pernicious IPA (dollar sales +15.5%, volume +11.9%).

In the convenience channel, Bell’s Seasonal returned to the top 30, despite continued YoY declines (dollar sales -8.9%, volume -9% in the L4W). Bell’s seasonal dollar sales were nearly flat -0.3% YTD, while volume declined -1.6%.

The Bell’s brands’ movement is more from Goose Island’s losses than its own trends, with Goose Island IPA falling off the top 30 list. In the previous four-week period, the IPA’s dollar sales (-22.8%) and volume (-20%) were both down double-digits.

Eight of the top 30 craft brands in c-stores recorded YoY dollar sales gains, including Wicked Weed Pernicious IPA, which improved from declines in the previous four-week period (dollar sales -5%, volume -7.6%) to increases in dollar sales +10% and volume +6.8% YoY in the L4W.

The other seven brands to record YoY growth in the channel included: