Year-to-date (YTD) craft beer sales in off-premise retailers have inched closer to flat with one month to go, according to market research firm Circana.
Through December 3, craft beer sales in multi-outlet and convenience stores are down -0.9%, an improvement compared to the last four- (-1.6%), 12- (-3.9%) and 52-week (-1%) periods. Craft dollar sales trends YTD have been boosted by the average price per case of craft beer increasing $1.55, to $42.56.
Nevertheless, craft sales have lagged behind the overall beer category, with dollar sales up +2.7% YTD in Circana-tracked scan data – the caveat being that Circana scans are just one piece of the overall data picture.
Craft volume (measured in case sales) is also trending down, declining -4.5% YTD through early December. The negative volume trends have accelerated over the latest four- (-2.7%) and 12-week (-3.9%) periods.
Craft’s struggles are most pronounced in the grocery channel, where dollar sales are down -3.4% YTD, to nearly $2.4 billion, and volume has declined -6.6%, per Circana. The average price of a case of craft beer in grocery stores is up $1.34 YTD, to $41.42.
However, in the convenience channel, craft is in the green, with dollar sales +4.5%, to more than $1.5 billion, and volume sales +0.5%, Circana reported. The average price of a case of craft beer in c-stores is up $1.77, to $46.44.
Zeroing in on craft beer brands, Molson Coors-owned Blue Moon Belgian White remains the top-selling craft beer with $246.5 million in off-premise dollar sales through December 3, a -2.9% decline in multi-outlet and convenience stores. Blue Moon’s volume has also declined -4.5%.
The next two top-selling brands are both New Belgium Voodoo Ranger offerings, with Voodoo Ranger Imperial IPA posting $157.78 million in dollar sales (+12.7%), followed by Juice Force Hazy Imperial IPA, with $116.79 million in sales (+78.7%). Volume for those brands has increased +8% and +77.9%, respectively, so far this year.
However, in c-stores, the top spot belongs to Voodoo Ranger Imperial IPA ($88.86 million, +15.3%) by a slight edge over Blue Moon ($87.78 million, -2.7%). Juice Force ranks third in c-stores with nearly $74.5 million (+84.9% dollars, +79% volume YTD).
Across all Circana tracked channels, nine other craft brands are growing dollar sales. They include four Anheuser-Busch InBev (A-B) brands, three New Belgium offerings and one each from Sierra Nevada and Monster Energy-owned CANarchy:
- No. 4 Sierra Nevada Hazy Little Thing IPA (+7.3% dollars, +2.4% volume);
- No. 9 A-B’s Elysian Space Dust IPA (+1.2% dollars, -0.8% volume);
- No. 11 A-B’s Kona Big Wave Golden Ale (+41.2% dollars, +40.1% volume);
- No. 14 New Belgium’s Bell’s Brewery Two Hearted Ale (+5.6% dollars, +2.3% volume);
- No. 17 CANarchy’s Cigar City Jai Alai IPA (+1.1% dollars, -2.5% volume);
- No. 19 New Belgium Voodoo Ranger Hoppy variety pack (+13.7% dollars, +7% volume);
- No. 26 A-B’s Goose Island Tropical Beer Hug DDH Double IPA (+91.7% dollars, +85% volume);
- No. 27 A-B’s Wicked Weed Pernicious IPA (+9.3% dollars, +8.4% volume);
- No. 30 New Belgium’s Bell’s Seasonal (+8.4% dollars, +7.3% volume).
New Belgium Voodoo Ranger Fruit Force Hazy Imperial IPA was the only new-to-world brand to make the list in total Circana tracked stores, with YTD sales of nearly $46 million, cracking the top 15 list. More than half ($29.3 million) of those sales are from c-stores, where Fruit Force ranks as the seventh best-selling brand.
Brands posting YTD declines include these 17 offerings:
- No. 5 Boston Beer’s Samuel Adams Seasonal (-5% dollars, -8.6% volume);
- No. 6 Molson Coors’ Leinenkugel’s Shandy Seasonal (-0.4% dollars, -3.6% volume);
- No. 7 Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (-2.3% dollars, -6.3% volume);
- No. 8 Shiner Bock (-1.4% dollars, -4.6% volume);
- No. 10 Heineken’s Lagunitas IPA (-12.4% dollars, -16.6% volume);
- No. 12 Duvel USA’s Firestone Walker 805 (-4.2% dollars, -7.8% volume);
- No. 13 Mahou USA’s Founders All Day IPA (-6.3% dollars, -10.3% volume);
- No. 16 Boston Beer’s Samuel Adams Boston Lager (-3.6% dollars, -7.7% volume);
- No. 18 Molson Coors’ Blue Moon Light Sky Citrus Wheat (-22% dollars, -25.1% volume);
- No. 20 New Belgium Fat Tire (-17% dollars, -19.9% volume);
- No. 21 New Belgium Voodoo Ranger Juicy Haze IPA (-12.1% dollars, -16.1% volume);
- No. 22 Heineken’s Lagunitas A Little Sumpin Sumpin Ale (-16.1% dollars, -19.7% volume);
- No. 23 Boston Beer’s Samuel Adams variety pack (-2.4% dollars, -6.9% volume);
- No. 24 Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA (-3.5% dollars, -6.3% volume);
- No. 25 New Belgium Voodoo Ranger IPA (-16.4% dollars, -20.4% volume);
- No. 28 Sierra Nevada Big Little Thing Imperial IPA (-10.4% dollars, -14% volume);
- No. 29 And A-B’s Goose Island IPA (-17.8% dollars, -21% volume).
Within c-stores, three craft brands are also finding success:
- Rhinegeist’s Truth IPA (+9.1% dollar sales, +6.1% volume) at No. 23;
- Georgetown’s Bodhizafa IPA (+29.1% dollars, +22.1% volume) at No. 26;
- And Tilray Brands’ 10 Barrel Pub Lager (+29% dollars, +23.8% volume) at No. 28.
Looking at the top 25 overall beer category vendors, A-B remains the largest by far, with $13.64 billion sales (-8.1%) YTD, followed by Molson Coors ($7.81 billion, +11.3%), Constellation Brands ($7.81 billion, +14.7%), Mark Anthony Brands ($2.79 billion, +3.7%) and Boston Beer ($2.25 billion, +0.2%).
Notable craft vendors on the top 25 list include:
- No. 8 New Belgium (Kirin/Lion Little World Beverages), with dollar sales up +18.4% ($586.75 million) and volume up +13.1% YTD;
- No. 12 Sierra Nevada, with YTD dollar sales up +1.6%, while volume has declined -2.7%;
- No. 14 Tilray Brands, with dollar sales down -6.2%, to $180 million, and volume down -8.6% YTD;
- No. 16 Lagunitas, with dollar sales down -9.8%, to $140.57 million, and volume down -13.6% YTD;
- No. 17 Shiner-maker Gambrinus, which posted declines in dollar sales (-1.6%) and volume (-4.9%);
- No. 19 Artisanal Brewing Ventures, whose dollar sales (+6.3%, to $104.56 million) and volume (+4.4%) both increased;
- No. 20 Mahou USA, with the owner of Founders and Avery declining in both dollar sales (-1.9%) and volume (-6.3%) YTD;
- No. 21 Firestone Walker, whose off-premise beer sales declined -7.8%, to $96.1 million, and volume declined -11.1%;
- No. 22 Stone-owner Sapporo USA, which grew dollar sales (+0.3%, to $94.6 million) while volume declined -0.4%;
- No. 24 CANarchy, with sales down -8.5%, to $82.98 million, and volume declining -12.2%;
- And No. 25 non-alcoholic beer maker Athletic Brewing Company, which posted triple-digit dollar sales (+114.1%) and volume (+113%) growth YTD. Athletic recorded nearly $51.6 million dollar sales in total Circana-tracked channels, with the majority coming in the grocery channel ($42.99 million, +107.2% YTD).
In only the grocery channel, Deschutes Brewery and Great Lakes both cracked the top 25 vendor list. Deschutes ranked as the No. 22 brand in grocery, with YTD dollar sales and volume in the channel declining -7.1% and -13.2%, respectively. Great Lakes ranked No. 25, with $18.97 million in sales (-1.5%) YTD, and volume falling -2.8%.
Notably cracking the top 25 in convenience is AriZona Hard Tea maker AriZona Beverages generating $19.2 million in sales.
Only three craft styles grew dollar sales YTD across all channels:
- IPA (+4.4% dollars, +0.2% volume);
- Variety (+1% dollars, -3.1% volume);
- And golden ales (+5.2% dollars, +2.5% volume).
The remaining styles were all in the red.
In convenience, those trends were stronger, with IPA sales up +10.5% (nearly $914.4 million) and volume up +5.8%; golden ales up +8.7% in dollars and +5.2% in volume; variety up +17.4% in dollars and +13.3% in volume; and “other pale lagers” up +2.7% in dollars and +3.7% in volume.
In grocery, craft IPA dollar sales were flat ($969.2 million), and volume was down (-3.6%). Variety is up 1% in grocery dollars YTD, although volume has declined -2.7%. Golden ales increased dollars +2.9% and volume +0.8%. Craft pilsner also popped up green in grocery, growing sales +0.5%, even as volume declined -3.2%.