Sales of classic beers like Bud Light have been dropping for nearly a decade as new choices hit the shelves. First, it was a host of craft beers. Now, there are fizzy, fruit-flavored hard seltzers like Truly, canned margaritas and vodka tonics and wine spritzers.
Baby Boomers are also drinking less, while younger, more health-conscious consumers want drinks with fewer carbs and calories, analysts say. Some think the legalization of marijuana is also cutting alcohol consumption.
It's a reality reflected in this year's
While it can’t advertise nationally during the
“You can count carbs. You can count calories. But it only counts if the beer tastes good,” says one
It's a different tone than 2010, when drinkers partied in three separate Bud Light Super Bowl ads, or even 2018, when small band of villagers fought to get to a stack of Bud Light in the the goofy “Dilly, Dilly” ads.
“People are just getting bored with the regular beer,” said
The last time sales rose in the category was 2012, said IWSR Drinks Market Analysis, a data firm.
At the same time, sales of hard seltzers like White Claw jumped more than 200% to
There are still bright spots in the beer market. Imports, like Corona and Modelo, grew 3% last year, while
Low- and no-alcohol beer consumption also grew 7% last year as young buyers sought healthier alternatives. Heineken and Pabst introduced non-alcoholic beers last year. Some craft brewers, like
Legal marijuana and CBD-infused drinks may also be stealing some customers.
Big beer companies are introducing new products to keep consumers in the fold. Bud Light Seltzer matches market leader White Claw with 100 calories and 2 grams of carbohydrates. By comparison, Bud Light has 110 calories and 6.6 grams of carbs.
Pabst introduced a low-alcohol version of Pabst Blue Ribbon in 2018, followed last year by a hard seltzer and a spiked coffee.
Miller parent
“I do believe that alcohol companies are trying to adapt," said
Encarnacion doesn't drink beer and looks for clean ingredients and little added sugar when she's choosing a drink. Lately, she likes light cocktails, red wine and hard kombucha.
Classic beer’s attempts to focus on health have flopped before, though. During last year’s
But sales of Bud Light fell even faster than sales of Miller Lite or Coors Light last year, just as they had the year before, according to data from Beer Marketer's Insights, an industry publication.
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