Off-premise dollar sales of craft beer declined -2.7% in the four-week period ending February 25 in Circana-tracked multi-outlet and convenience store scans. Craft scans are now down -2% year-to-date (YTD) through late February, amounting to a loss of around $12.3 million for the segment, with sales of $619.9 million, the Chicago-based market research firm reported. This comes as the average case price of craft beer is up +$0.75 in the last four weeks, to $43.44, and up +$0.64 YTD, to $43.39.
Volume sagged -4.4% in the latest four weeks, and is now down -3.5% YTD, the firm shared.
Craft’s performance in the convenience channel continues to be a bright spot, with February dollar sales up +1.1% and volume nearly flat (-0.6%). Those numbers are outpacing YTD dollar (+0.5%) and volume (-1%) trends.
Grocery continues to be a drag for craft, with February dollar sales (-4.1%) and volume (-5.3%) in the red, outpacing YTD dollar (-2.8%) and volume (-3.9%) trends.
Craft is lagging behind the beer category to start 2024, with category-wide dollar sales down -0.8% and volume down -2.4%, Circana reported. The overall beer category’s trends improved in February with dollar sales roughly flat (-0.1%) and volume declining low-single digit (-2%).
Just nine of the top 30 craft brands are growing dollar sales and volume through the first two months of 2024, per Circana’s monthly report.
Five of those brands are in the New Belgium/Bell’s Brewery portfolio, including the No. 2 craft brand in sales, New Belgium Voodoo Ranger Imperial IPA (+3.9% in dollars and +2.1% in volume YTD).
Around $8.9 million in sales separate Voodoo Ranger Imperial IPA from the No. 1 craft beer in off-premise retailers, Molson Coors’ Blue Moon Belgian White (-5.4% dollars, -7.3% volume). Voodoo Ranger Imperial IPA’s trends accelerated in February, growing dollars +5.1% and volume +3.1%. However, Blue Moon slightly improved its performance (-4.7% dollars, -6.7% volume).
Voodoo Ranger Imperial IPA has already overtaken Blue Moon in c-stores as the No. 1 craft brand by both dollar sales and volume. Sibling brand New Belgium Voodoo Ranger Juice Force hazy imperial IPA has now also bounced the Molson Coors brand, slotting in at No. 2 in sales for the first two months of 2024. Voodoo Ranger Imperial IPA is leading c-stores with nearly $15 million in sales (+7%) through February 25, and volume up +5.4% YTD. Those trends accelerated in February (+9.8% dollars, +8% volume).
In convenience, Blue Moon dollars (-10.3%) and volume (-11.3%) are both down double-digits YTD. Those trends improved last month (-7.7% dollars, -8.7% volume).
Juice Force has maintained a torrid double-digit growth trajectory, with dollars (+47.2%) and volume (+43.3%) in convenience stores. Those trends continue to point up in the latest four weeks (+50.4% dollars, +46.3% volume).
Juice Force’s upward trajectory is a remarkable story for a higher ABV product (9% ABV). The brand is now the No. 3 craft brand overall in off-premise retailers YTD, with dollars and volume growth of +82.1% and +85.7%, respectively.
Other brands posting dollar and volume gains YTD in multi-outlet and convenience stores include:
- No. 4 Sierra Nevada Hazy Little Thing IPA (+9.1% dollars, +6.8% volume);
- No. 10 Anheuser-Busch InBev’s (A-B) Kona Big Wave golden ale (+25.4% dollars, +28% volume);
- No. 12 New Belgium’s Bell’s Two Hearted Ale (+8.8% dollars, +6.9% volume);
- No. 14 New Belgium Voodoo Ranger Fruit Force hazy imperial IPA (+81.7% dollars, +80.3% volume);
- No. 19 A-B’s Goose Island Tropical Beer Hug DDH double iPA (+50.6% dollars, +45.5% volume);
- No. 30 Georgetown Bodhizafa IPA (+22.9% dollars, +21.2% volume).
Boston Beer’s Samuel Adams Seasonal was roughly flat in sales (+0.1%), but down -2.7% in volume YTD. The seasonal release’s trends have declined over the last four weeks (-2.5% in dollars, -5.1% in volume).
Notably, New Belgium’s latest Force line extension, Voodoo Ranger Tropic Force IPA, is the No. 23 best-selling craft brand in the convenience channel with more than $1.62 million in dollar sales. It’s the only new craft offering to crack the segment’s top 30 brands list in c-stores. No new brands have popped on grocery scans.
However, New Belgium’s portfolio isn’t without headwinds. Two of its top 30 brands are in double-digit decline:
- Fat Tire dollar sales are down -18.7% YTD, with volume down -21.2%;
- Voodoo Ranger Juicy Haze IPA sales are down -22.4%, with volume down -23.3%.
Also trending in the red through the first two months of 2024 are New Belgium’s Voodoo Ranger Hoppy variety pack (-1.9% dollars, -3.5% volume YTD) and Voodoo Ranger IPA (-3.1% dollars, -4.2% volume).
A few other notable regional brands popping up in convenience scans and heating up in February include:
- No. 22 Rhinegeist Truth IPA (+4.7% in dollars, +0.6% in volume);
- No. 26 Georgetown Bodhizafa IPA (+37.8% in dollars, +34.1% in volume);
- No. 28 Tilray’s 10 Barrel Pub Lager (+21.9% in dollars, +21.7% in volume);
- No. 29 Fiddlehead IPA (+24.7% in dollars, +25.1% in volume).
Non-alcoholic (NA) beer maker Athletic Brewing is the No. 24 overall beer vendor in Circana-tracked scans, with YTD dollar sales +85.2 and volume +93.4%, and those trends are holding steady in February, with dollars +89% and volume +93%.
Athletic owns three of the top 100 top-selling beer brands in the grocery channel, including:
- Run Wild IPA, with nearly $3.9 million in grocery store sales (+60% YTD) and volume +67.4%. The latest-four-week trends has dollars +63.3% and volume +65.6%;
- Free Wave Hazy IPA, with more than $2.8 million in grocery sales (+105% YTD), with volume +111.5%. The brand is up more than 104% in both dollars and volume in February;
- Athletic Upside Dawn Golden, with more than $2.6 million in grocery sales (+63.1% YTD), and up +69.8% in volume. Those trends continued in February, +69.8% in dollars and +72% in volume.
Athletic isn’t classified as craft within Circana’s data set. If it were, the company would comfortably hold three of the top 20 craft brands in the grocery channel. Run Wild IPA would also be the 23rd best-selling craft brand YTD in multi-outlet and convenience stores, slotting between Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA ($3.967 million in dollar sales) and New Belgium Voodoo Ranger IPA ($3.87 million).
The NA beer segment has posted nearly $62.5 million in dollar sales (+29.9%) YTD, with volume growing +25.1% YTD, per Circana. Dollar sales accelerated (+29.2) in February, although volume lagged slightly behind (+23.8%) the YTD trend.
The majority of NA sales occur in the grocery channel, with nearly $45.2 million in dollar sales YTD (+28.3%) in the channel, and volume up +23.9%. NA has recorded $6.6 million in dollar sales (+24%) in the convenience channel YTD, as volume is up +16.2%.