Data

Is the food and beverage funding freeze finally thawing? FABID’s Q1 2025 Report reveals a surprising rebound in deal size and investor appetite—just not where you might expect.

Nearly three-quarters (72%) of American consumers are concerned about a looming recession, and 52% think “the economy will be worse this time next year,” according to a recent poll from insights firm Numerator. It’s an apparently bipartisan dread, Numerator reported.

Craft brewers’ collective production declined 4% in 2024, to 23.1 million barrels of beer produced, the Brewers Association (BA) shared today in the release of its annual craft brewing production report. The trade group representing small and independent craft breweries described 2024’s numbers as “highlighting the new realities of a maturing market in a rapidly evolving environment.”

Beer’s Q1 on-premise sales were a mixed bag, according to the latest data report from tech and on-premise data firm BeerBoard.

Few were immune to beer’s tough March, even the country’s largest beer vendors, according to the latest monthly report from market research firm Circana.

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) for beverage-alcohol away from home continued to outpace overall inflation through the first three months of 2025, according to the latest report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

Craft off-premise declines accelerated last month, which should come as no surprise to anyone keeping up with March scans and data reports. In the last four weeks (ending March 23), craft beer dollar sales declined 5.1% year-over-year (YoY) and volume, measured in case sales, fell 6.4%, in Circana-tracked off-premise channels (total U.S. multi-outlet, plus convenience), according to the market research firm’s latest monthly report.

Half of consumers went out for a drink in March, and on-premise visitations aren’t expected to slow down despite economic uncertainty, according to NIQ’s on-premise marketing research arm CGA.

An estimated 10.3 million barrels of beer were shipped in the U.S. in February, a -14.9% decline and loss of more than 1.8 million barrels year-over-year (YoY), Beer Institute (BI) chief economist Andrew Heritage reported in the trade group’s latest round of economic reports, citing estimates from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB).

Off-premise trends across beverage-alcohol suggest an even bleaker year ahead for the industry than “what we already limped through in 2024,” according to the latest monthly update from Bump Williams Consulting (BWC) and founder Bump Williams.

St. Patrick’s Day gave the on-premise a welcome boost, but it wasn’t completely sunny for the bev-alc industry, according to the latest report by CGA, the on-premise arm of market research firm NIQ.

The On Premise universe grew in December, particularly driven by openings of Casual dining outlets, which were the most common venue type.

Distributor sentiment for the beer category continued to fall this month, according to the latest Beer Purchasers’ Index (BPI) from the National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA).

2025’s drinking occasions just can’t hold a candle to 2024, it seems. In the lead up to St. Patrick’s Day (week ending March 16), off-premise bev-alc sales recorded a -3.9% decline year-over-year (YoY), market research firm Circana reported in its newest batch of weekly data. Holiday shopping delivered a +5% increase week-over-week (WoW).