Beer consumption in the US fell to the lowest level in almost 25 years: only one Mexican brand protested

In 2023, the United States recorded lowest level of beer consumption Since 1999, according to an analysis by industry group Beer Marketers Insights (BMI).

Some reasons that explain this decline are that consumers have replaced beer with beer. Other alcoholic options And with the increasing number of such people Avoid alcoholic beverages completely,

David Steinman, vice president and executive editor of BMI, said that 2023 was “a tough year for beer.” Beer production was on track to fall below 200 million barrels for the first time since 1999.

The company that suffered the most loss from the decline was anheuser bushGroup of Belgian origin and leader in beer production which manufactures art light,

This year, Bud Light made headlines for a sponsorship deal that turned into a scandal, leading some longtime drinkers to boycott it and sales to decline.

Anheuser-Busch ran an ad campaign on Instagram: an image of transsexual influencer, Dylan Mulvaney, showing a personalized can.

The image was rejected in conservative circles and media, who harshly attacked the brand and made transphobic comments, while the brewing company issued a lukewarm defense that also angered the LGBTQ+ community.

Bud Light sales declined during the month of May about 25% weekly, according to measurement. Additionally, sales of other beers affiliated with the Anheuser-Busch family, such as Michelob Ultra, Natural Light and Busch Light, declined.

Anheuser Busch, owned by global conglomerate AB InBev, also suffered declines. hard seltzers, A category in which it has dominated for a long time.

The beer industry is also now competing against a wave of new alcohol products, many of which are from non-traditional producers, said Lester Jones, vice president of analysis and chief economist for the National Beer Wholesalers Association.

“For example, some of the world’s largest soft drink and energy companies have introduced sugar-sweetened alcoholic beverages to the market, all of which offer the same consumption opportunities as traditional malt and hop products,” he told Chen. nbc,

Steinman said the largest beer makers in the U.S. continue to oppose price increases that exceed normal inflation.

Beer drinkers also continued to turn to more expensive beer brands, especially imported ones like Modelo Especial, which became the number one beer in the United States in 2023.

According to National Quality Initiative (NQI) data provided to the consulting firm Bump Williams, after firmly leading the market in the United States for two decades, Bud Light was displaced by Modelo Especial, produced in Mexico.

Last month’s measurements indicate that models manufactured by Constellation Brands, Retail sales accounted for 8.4% It placed first in beer preference in the US, while Bud Light fell to second place with 7.3%.

And beer sales remain strong in other parts of the world, Steinman said.

He concluded, “As prices have increased, dollar sales have continued to increase and profits have increased.”

“The U.S. beer industry experienced wild growth in 2023 on the back of a booming economy, creating more jobs and increasing wages for many, as well as seeing a rapid influx of new products in an oversupplied brew market,” Jones said. Went.”