Draft beer volume increased +4.1% during Super Bowl LVII compared to last year’s game, according to on-premise data firm BeerBoard.
When compared to Super Bowl LV in 2021 – when much of the country’s bars and restaurants were still subject to capacity constraints due to the COVID-19 pandemic – Sunday’s draft volume increased +42%, BeerBoard said.
In the game’s host city of Phoenix, Arizona, draft sales volume increased +69% compared to Super Bowl Sunday 2022. Constellation Brands’ Modelo Especial was the best-selling draft beer in Phoenix bars and restaurants.
Anheuser-Busch InBev’s Bud Light – also the official beer of the NFL – was the top draft beer poured in the home cities of the competing teams, Kansas City, Missouri; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
As fans cheered on the Kansas City Chiefs, draft sales volume increased +5.7% compared to 2022. However, Bud Light’s volume was flat in the Kansas City area.
Philadelphia Eagles fans “were noted to gather at public viewing parties, rather than huddling in bars to cheer on their team,” BeerBoard wrote.
“This resulted in volume being flat when compared to 2022, though rate of sale did see a +4.5% increase on the day,” it continued.
Bud Light’s volume increased +11.8% in Philadelphia compared to last year.
Nationwide, Bud Light was the best-selling draft beer, but its volumed declined -10% from 2022, BeerBoard wrote. Michelob Ultra, a sibling brand under the A-B umbrella, was the second most-poured beer and grew volume by +5%. Both brands starred in their own Super Bowl commercials this year.
With a +11.6% volume increase, Modelo Especial continued its upward trajectory from last year, when its sales grew +70%.
Light lagers were the most-poured style nationwide, but declined -2.3% compared to last year, when volume increased +30% compared to a pandemic-hobbled 2021. Lagers’ volume increased +2.5% and the style was the second most-poured. IPAs were the third most popular draft beer and increased volume +14.6% compared to 2022.
“Our Big Game Pour Report is always a fun look at trends and on-premise consumption for what is one of the largest one-day events in the world,” BeerBoard founder and CEO Mark Young said in a press release. “It was interesting to look at performance for this year’s big game and to dive into trends and consumer preference.”