The latest NIQ On Premise analysis reveals a beer category that continues to face volume pressure, but one where performance varies significantly by segment, format, and occasion. The findings also highlight meaningful shifts in on-premise consumption that extend beyond topline category performance.
The latest NIQ on premise update highlights a beer category under pressure, with both value and volume declining over the past year. In contrast, spirits and RTDs continue to capture share, supported by price-led growth and shifting consumer preferences.
In the December 2025 Brewbound Quarterly On-Premise Report, NIQ data reveals a market where growth is increasingly concentrated in specific outlets, formats, and styles, while once-reliable channels quietly lose ground.
The pre-flight beer ranks high on many people’s lists of simple pleasures, but what does it take for that beer to end up in a pint glass? Experience Threee founder Liz Einhorn joins this week’s episode of the Brewbound Podcast to discuss the complexities of beer service in airport concessions. She shares the pros and cons of brewery-branded, airport taprooms and what it takes to secure (and keep) a draft line in a busy airport bar.
There were plenty of trophy-worthy achievements across bev-alc during the FIFA World Cup, according to final data from on-premise insights firm BeerBoard.
The margarita’s grip on cocktail menus is loosening as drinkers, particularly younger ones, have begun to diversify their cocktail choices. After a long reign at the top, challenges to the margarita have emerged: value velocity fell 16% year-over-year (YoY) in Q4 2025 according to a new report from NIQ.
On-premise gains from the FIFA World Cup slowed slightly after the tournament’s headline-making hot start, but new data from on-premise insights firm BeerBoard suggests that later weeks may have been just as impactful to bars and restaurants – at least when it comes to draft sales.
The FIFA World Cup 2026 on-premise boost has emerged from coast to coast, according to the latest report from data firm BeerBoard. Those gains are much steeper in states with the 11 stadiums hosting World Cup matches, often by several orders of magnitude.
Mother’s Day and Memorial Day delivered a much-needed boost to restaurants and bars last month, according to an NIQ report, analyzing CGA-gathered on-premise data. Mother’s Day (Sunday, May 10) and Memorial Day (Monday, May 25) were the most valuable Sunday and Monday, respectively, so far in 2026 for the on-premise channel, NIQ reported.
While off-premise bev-alc scans have been on a rollercoaster this year (one with admittedly mild drops compared to 2025), the on-premise has been more steady, trending between flat and up 1% over the last few months.
On-premise venues should have seen a notable lift in sales over the weekend, if historical Mother’s Day trends played out.
Anheuser-Busch InBev’s (A-B) Michelob Ultra was Numero Uno on Cinco de Mayo, according to the latest report from on-premise insights firm BeerBoard.
Draft beer increased its share of on-premise beer sales by volume to 53.1% in 2025, gaining 0.9 share points year-over-year, according to the latest Draft Beer Report from NIQ and Draftline Technologies. Those gains matched 2024’s, per NIQ’s On-Premise Measurement service, which tracks sales at licensed on-premise accounts across the U.S.
An upset happened off the court during the final weekend of the NCAA basketball tournament. Anheuser-Busch InBev’s (A-B) Michelob Ultra (13.81% share) edged Constellation Brands’ Corona Extra (13.8% share) for the top volume spot among packaged products at bars and restaurants tracked by on-premise data firm BeerBoard.
Coachella kicks off this weekend, with up to 125,000 people set to flock to Indio, California, each day to see Sabrina Carpenter, Justin Bieber, Karol G and others – hopefully with a beverage in hand.
Unsurprisingly, the most expensive city to grab a beer is New York, according to a recent report from on-premise POS firm Toast. The median pint costs $9.16 in the Big Apple, likely driven up by Manhattan, as Toast reported the median pint across the East River in Brooklyn is $8.02.
As the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments marched into Final Four weekend, craft was the only segment to lose share of volume and dollar sales across all four regions, according to on-premise data firm BeerBoard.
