On-premise beer performance held strong last weekend (March 24-27) – a week after elevated St. Patrick’s Day sales – with a +4.1% increase in rate of sale (ROS) nationally compared to the prior period (March 10-13), according to the market research firm BeerBoard.
It was the second consecutive period of growth in the on-premise, after a +1.4% increase in rate of sale week-over-week for March 10-13. Compared to the same weekend in 2021, ROS increased +3.7% nationally. Nevada (+12.3%), Minnesota (7.2%), Georgia (+6.8%) and South Carolina (+6.7%) led period-over-period growth, while Texas (-0.6%) and Florida (-0.5%) recorded the only decreases in ROS of the 11 tracked states.
The volume of beer sold on-premise nationally increased +4.2% compared to the period before (which recorded a +3.3% increase), and +6.4% versus the same weekend in 2021. Ten of the 11 tracked states reported volume increases in the period, led by Nevada (+17.1%), Minnesota (+15.4%), California (+9.2%) and Michigan (+7.3%).
The average number of taps per location held at 20, while the percentage of taps pouring increased to 75%, a +2% increase versus the period before. The growth came after sales of draft beer by volume more than doubled (+118.5%) on St. Patrick’s Day (March 17), compared to the holiday in 2021.
Compared to the last weekend in March 2021, the average number of taps per location increased +11.1%, with a +2.7% increase in the number of taps pouring. Michigan had the largest average number of taps (24) of the 11 tracked states, followed by California (23, +45% versus the period before); Minnesota (22, +4.8%); Nevada (21, +5%) and New York (21, flat).
Despite the increase of stouts’ sales by volume during St. Patrick’s Day (+137% nationwide year-over-year), the style did not make its way into the top five styles for the latest period. Light lager continued to lead the list, followed by lagers, IPA, Belgian wit/white ale and European ales.