The beer category is in the black to start 2025, with off-premise dollar sales growing +3% and volume +0.7% year-to-date (YTD) through January 18 in NIQ-tracked channels (total U.S. xAOC plus liquor plus convenience).
Beer category dollar sales are only slightly lagging total alcohol (+3.9%) YTD.
Top manufacturers off to a hot start, growing volume and dollars, included:
- Constellation Brands: +7.9% volume, +9.8% dollars;
- Diageo Beer: +7.6% volume, +9.8% dollars;
- Mark Anthony Brands: +3.6% volume, +6.2% dollars.
Imports continue to drive growth, with dollar sales increasing +8% and volume +6.1% YTD. Imports hold a 24.8% share of beer category dollars and 20.4% of category volume.
Constellation’s flagship Mexican import brand families Modelo (+6.9% volume, +8.6% dollars) and Corona (+5.3% volume, +7.5% dollars) have increased volume and dollars YTD while also outperforming their 52-week numbers. Also boosting Constellation’s YTD trends are the Pacifico (+24.8% volume, +28.3% dollars) and Victoria (+54.9% volume, +50.6% dollars).
Mark Anthony’s White Claw hard seltzer is posting strong growth YTD (+4.2% volume, +7.2% dollars), while most other top seltzer brands are declining double digits, including No. 2 hard seltzer brand Truly Hard Seltzer (-13.6% volume, -11.5% dollars). The overall segment remains in decline (-4.6% volume, -1.6% dollars YTD), but those trends are an improvement over the 52-week numbers (-11.9% volume, -9% dollars).
Molson Coors’ Coors Banquet is riding a wave of momentum, growing volume +20% and dollars +23.1% YTD. In contrast, the company’s top two brands – Coors Light (-2.4% volume, -0.7% dollars) and Miller Lite (-3% volume, -1.8% dollars) – are declining. Molson Coors’ portfolio-wide trends are also down YTD (-2.3% volume, -0.4% dollars).
In craft, Sierra Nevada is growing volume around +5.5% to +6% YTD, while increasing dollar sales +6.6%. Helping drive those trends is Hazy Little Thing IPA; Sierra Nevada is also making a push into non-alcoholic (NA) beer with its Trail Pass brand family.
Molson Coors’ Blue Moon family, with the craft category’s No. 1 selling beer and also an NA line extension, has increased off-premise dollar sales +2%, but decreased volume -1%.
New Belgium’s trends are also pointing down to start the year in both volume (-6.1%) and dollars (-3.3%) through the first three weeks of 2025.
The early trends for the craft segment while in the red (-1.4% volume, flat in dollars) are an improvement over the 52-week trendlines (-4.2% volume, -2.3% dollars).
Here’s the full segment breakdown YTD through mid-January:
- Imports: +6.1% volume, +8% dollars;
- Craft: -1.4% volume, flat dollars;
- Domestic super premium: +10% volume, +8.3% dollars;
- FMBs: +7.7% volume, +7% dollars;
- Hard seltzer: -4.6% volume, -1.6% dollars;
- Premium regular: -1.7% volume, +0.6% dollars;
- Premium light: -3.8% volume, -2.3% dollars;
- Hard cider: +2.4% volume, +4.1% dollars;
- Below premium: -0.9% volume, +1.5% dollars;
- Malt liquor: -9.2% volume, -5.2% dollars.
Editor’s Note: This post was updated with information from Sierra Nevada clarifying its year-to-date volume numbers in the +5.5% to +6% range. NIQ had previously reported volume for the brand at +12.6%, which was incorrect.