Total beer category dollar sales at off-premise retailers reached more than $44.6 billion in 2022, according to the market research firm IRI.
Category dollar sales increased +0.8% year-over-year (YoY) in multi-outlet food plus convenience channels through January 1, 2023. While the dollar sales increase is above the -0.4% decline recorded in 2021, it is significantly below the +5.3% increase recorded in 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, total beer dollar sales increased +14.7%, as the pandemic forced many to shift their purchasing to off-premise retailers.
Although dollar sales increased, volume in IRI-tracked channels – determined by case sales – declined -4.8% in 2022, suggesting that some of the dollar gains are due to price increases, rather than consumers buying more beer. The average price per case increased by $1.57, to $28.60 per case.
Beer sales at grocery stores declined -1.5% YoY, to more than $13.56 billion, after a -4.6% decline in 2021. Beer volume in the channel declined -5.7%, to more than 470 million cases. In 2021, case sales declined -7.8%, to more than 499 million cases.
Beer sales at c-stores increased +1.7%, to more than $24.22 billion, slightly below the +2% increase recorded in 2021. Case sales declined -4.9%, to nearly 822 million cases, compared to a -3% decline, to nearly 865 million cases, in 2021.
Non-alcoholic (NA) beer recorded the strongest dollar sales growth for the second year in a row, increasing dollar sales +17.2% YoY, to nearly $279 million, in multi-outlet plus convenience channels.
Flavored malt beverages (FMBs) were close behind, increasing dollar sales +15.2%, to nearly $3.72 billion. However, FMBs recorded a larger increase in case sales (+8.5%), followed by NA (+7.8%).
Imports (+6.6%, to $9.86 billion) and domestic super premiums (+5%, to nearly $5.19 billion) each recorded dollar sales growth, as well as case sales growth – +1.6% and +1.1% respectively – that outpaced the category. Domestic sub-premiums recorded a slight dollar sales increase (+0.1%, to nearly $4.34 billion), but case sales declined -6.6%.
Assorted bev-alc recorded the largest dollar sales decline (-22% YoY, to $33.36 million), followed by hard seltzers (-10.4%, to nearly $4.07 billion), craft (-4.7%, to $4.74 billion), cider (-3.4%, nearly $475 million) and domestic premiums (-2.3%, nearly $11.91 billion).
Within grocery, NA recorded the largest increase in dollar sales (+18.6%, to nearly $119.48 million), followed by FMBs (+13.7%, to $830 million), domestic super premiums (+4.5%, to nearly $1.13 billion), domestic sub-premiums (+2.4%, to early 1.07 billion), and imports (+0.7%, to $2.56 billion). Hard seltzer, one of only two segments to grow sales in the channel in 2021, declined -12.6%, to $1.48 billion – the second-largest sales decline in the channel after assorted (-21.5%).
In the convenience channel, only four segments recorded dollar sales growth in 2022: FMBs (+15.3%, to $2.39 billion), imports (+10.3%, to $5.9 billion), NA (+9.4%, to nearly $34.08 million) and domestic super premium (+4.4%, to nearly $2.45 billion).
Assorted recorded another large hit in c-stores, with dollar sales cut nearly in half in 2022 (-49.7%, to $22,930), after a -56.4% decline in 2021. Hard seltzer recorded the second-largest decline in dollar sales in the channel (-7.4%, to $1.92 billion), followed by domestic premiums (-3.8%, to $6.95 billion), craft (-3.5%, to nearly $1.56 billion), cider (-2.8%, to $139 million) and domestic sub-premiums (-2.1%, to nearly $3.3 billion).
It should be noted that IRI scan data is only a snapshot of beer’s 2022 performance, and does not include on-premise dollar sales, at-the-brewery sales and other channels, such as independent liquor stores and club stores.
Of the top 25 brand families, 12 grew dollar sales in 2022 in multi-outlet plus convenience channels, led by Boston Beer Company’s Twisted Tea (+30.9%, to nearly $887 million). Three other FMB brands in the top 25 recorded growth: Diageo’s Smirnoff (+6.1%, $504 million) and Mark Anthony Brands’ Mike’s Hard Lemonade (+5.7%, to nearly $333 million) and Mike’s Harder Lemonade (+3.2%, to $431 million).
New Belgium Brewing Company recorded the largest sales growth among traditional beer brand families (+22.9%, to $429 million), followed by:
- Constellation Brands’ Modelo (+18.3%, to $3.97 billion);
- Anheuser-Busch InBev’s (A-B) Michelob (+7%, to nearly $3.58 billion);
- A-B’s Busch (+4.6%, to $1.82 billion);
- Constellation Brands’ Corona (+4.4%, to nearly $2.97 billion);
- Molson Coors’ Miller Lite (+1.5%, to $2.16 billion);
- A-B’s Natural (+0.2%, to nearly $1.35 billion).
Two brand families maintained flat dollar sales: Molson Coors’ Coors and Mark Anthony Brands’ White Claw Hard Seltzer. The flat year for White Claw comes after the brand recorded its first year-over-year decline in 2021 (-2.6% YoY), as hard seltzer’s growth began to slow.
Hard seltzer brands led the 11 brands that recorded sales declines in 2022: A-B’s Bud Light Seltzer (-19.8%, to $325 million) and Boston Beer’s Truly Hard Seltzer (-18.2%, to nearly $1.03 billion). Other brand families to record dollar sales declines include:
- A-B’s Bud Speciality (-13.8%, to $581 million);
- Molson Coors’ Keystone (-9.2%, to nearly $390 million);
- Diageo’s Heineken (-8.6%, to $829 million);
- Diageos’ Dos Equis XX (-7.6%, to nearly $431 million);
- A-B’s Stella Artois (-6.6%, to nearly $402 million);
- A-B’s Bud (-4.1%, to nearly $6.49 billion);
- Molson Coors’ Blue Moon (-3.1%, to $357 million);
- Yuengling (-0.9%, to nearly $373 million);
- Sierra Nevada (-0.8%, to $312 million).
Only six brand families recorded an increase in case sales in tracked channels: Twisted Tea (+23.9%), New Belgium (+14.5%), Modelo (+12.8%), Mikes Hard (+3.5%), Michelob (+2.8%) and Smirnoff (+1.5%).
A-B remained the largest beer vendor, with $16.15 billion in dollar sales in 2022, though the beer giant recorded a -1.8% decline YoY. A-B’s dollar sales remained more than double its next largest competitor, Molson Coors, which recorded a +0.9% increase YoY, to $7.58 billion.
The rest of the top 10 include:
- Constellation Brands (+11%, to nearly $7.37 billion);
- Mark Anthony Brands (+1.8%, to $2.9 billion);
- Boston Beer (-0.1%, to $2.42 billion);
- Heineken (-9%, to nearly $1.52 billion);
- Diageo (+3.5%, to $751 million);
- Pabst Brewing Co. (+0.3%, to $548 million);
- Kirin-Lion (+15.4%, to $539 million);
- D.G. Yuengling & Son (+1%, to $419 million).
Kirin-Lion makes its first appearance on the top-10 list, emboldened by its acquisition of Bell’s Brewery in late 2021 and New Belgium in late 2019. In 2021, New Belgium alone made IRI’s top 25 beer vendors list at No. 11, with nearly $361 million in sales.
FIFCO USA, which ranked No. 9 in 2021, fell out of the top 10 to No. 11, with nearly $383 million in sales, a -9.3% decline YoY.
Rounding out the top 25 vendors after FIFCO, include:
- Sierra Nevada (-1%, to $316 million);
- Geloso Beverage Group (+12.6%, to $121 million);
- Phusion Projects (+5.3%, to nearly $171 million);
- Lagunitas (-9.8%, to nearly $168 million);
- Gambrinus (-9.2%, to nearly $131 million);
- Firestone Walker (-7.5%, to $112 million);
- Founders Brewing Co. (-13.6%, to nearly $110 million);
- Artisanal Brewing Ventures (-4.2%, to nearly $107 million);
- Sapporo U.S.A. (-0.2%, to nearly $103 million);
- Sazerac (+157.8%, to nearly $102 million);
- Canarchy Craft Brewery Collective (-14.2%, to $98 million);
- Deschutes Brewery (-10.5%, to nearly $59 million);
- Sweetwater Brewing Company (-4.8%, fo $57 million);
- New Glarus Brewing Co. (-11.2%, to $40 million).
Phusion Projects (Four Loko) moved up one place from No. 15 to No. 14, overtaking Heineken-owned Lagunitas. Firestone Walker also made its way up, from No. 19 in 2021 to No. 17. Artisanal Brewing Ventures (ABV) – which includes Victory, Sixpoint, Southern Tier and Bold Rock – moved up from No. 21 to No. 19.
A-B’s Craft Brew Alliance – which includes craft brands Kona (outside Hawaii), Widmer Brothers, Redhook, Omission, Cisco Brewers, Appalachian Mountain Brewery and Wynwood – held the No. 16 spot in 2021, but fell off the top 25 list entirely in 2022.
New entrants to the top-25 list include Sapporo, which acquired Stone Brewing in August, and Tilray-owned SweetWater Brewing Company. Stone was the No. 23 beer vendor in IRI-tracked channels in 2021, with $71 million in sales (-15.5% YoY).