PBN's sister publication, Dayton Business Journal, reports that Americans' fondness for beer shows signs of lagging. U.S. beer sales fell 1.7 percent last year, according to the Brewers Association. The continued rise in craft beers — and growth of spirits — are taking market share from some of the stalwarts of the U.S. beer industry.
For example, Anheuser-Busch InBev saw sales declines with both its Budweiser and Bud Light brands, according to data from IRI, a Chicago-based market research firm (@iriworldwide).
In addition, both Miller Light — part of Miller Coors — and Coors Light — part of Molson Coors Brewing Company — posted year-over-year sales drops.
Note: Click on the above photos to see the 20 best-selling beer brands in the U.S.
Related: Click here for the 20 top-selling whiskey brands
While some of the larger brands are losing market share, other sectors of beer are growing. For example, sales of imported beer climbed 3.2 percent last year, according to data from the Brewers Association. Dos Equis XX Lager Especial saw its sales jump 3.2 percent, Stella Artois rose 13.2 percent, and Modelo Especial jumped 22.9 percent. Modelo is a bright light for Anheuser-Busch InBev.
In addition to imported beer, craft beer sales rose 5 percent last year.
Here at home, craft brewers have been investing and expanding their operations. In August, Stewbum & Stonewall announced it had raised more than $200,000 from 169 investors to open a 2,800-square-foot location in Chinatown, adding a location to its original Kaneohe presence.
Also in August, Kona Brewing Co., owned by the Oregon-based Craft Brew Alliance, said it would lighten its carbon footprint by adding a solar-plus-storage system to its new brewery on the Big Island.
What for PBN's List of Hawaii's biggest brewers in Friday's edition.