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.
On-premise spirits volume is trending at about 93% of the level the category was selling at in late 2019 and early 2020, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and related on-premise shutdowns, according to a new report from CGA, the on-premise arm of NIQ.
If horse races and taco specials can’t bring consumers to the on-premise, maybe celebrating their mothers will.
Anyone who chose Sovereignty to win this year’s Kentucky Derby walked away pretty happy earlier this month, but the bev-alc industry was not so lucky, according to BeerBoard, an on-premise data firm.
In this exclusive quarterly deep dive curated for Brewbound Insiders, 3Tier Beverages breaks down the latest trends shaking up the beverage industry.
Overall beer category dollar sales declined in Q1 2025 compared to Q1 2024, but those losses were unbalanced between the channels, according to the most recent report from the National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) and Fintech. Beer dollar sales reached an estimated $15.8 billion in the first quarter of the year, down about 4% year-over-year (YoY).
Tequila continues to gain share from other spirits in U.S. bars and restaurants, according to NIQ’s on-premise marketing research arm CGA. Tequila sales by value rose by 0.7% in the 12 months through the end of February, despite a 1.7% drop in volumes.
Beer’s Q1 on-premise sales were a mixed bag, according to the latest data report from tech and on-premise data firm BeerBoard.
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.
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.
March Madness did indeed extend March Sadness (readers of Brewbound’s weekend newsletter will get the reference). Draft volume during the opening weekend of the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments declined -5.8% compared to the same weekend in 2024, according to on-premise data firm BeerBoard, which reviewed nationwide sales during the March 20-23, 2025, weekend and compared to March 21-24, 2024.
Beer has gained bev-alc dollar share at bars, restaurants and venues, taking from wine and spirits, according to the latest report from CGA, NIQ’s on-premise data arm. For the 52-week period ending January 25, beer accounted for 40.1% of all dollars spent in the on-premise channel, a +0.3 percentage point increase year-over-year (YoY). Ready-to-drink (RTD) canned cocktails increased dollar share +0.4 percentage points, to 1.2% of total bev-alc dollars.
St. Patrick’s Day weekend wasn’t necessarily lucky for purveyors of draft beer, according to on-premise data firm BeerBoard, which published its annual recap of bev-alc performance at bars and restaurants during the holiday.
One of the latest signs that craft beer has entered a new era: Patrons of storied brewpub chains Gordon Biersch and Rock Bottom can now order domestic lagers produced by the world’s largest breweries.
