This week on Brewbound Frontlines, National Beer Wholesalers Association chief economist Lester Jones and Brewers Association chief economist Bart Watson discuss beer sales during the COVID-19 pandemic, how the summer selling season is shaping up and their projections for the rest of 2020.
The pandemic has had an indelible effect on the beer industry. Nationwide safer-at-home orders forced the closure of bars, restaurants, brewery tasting rooms, taprooms, sporting venues and the cancellation of large events. With millions of Americans staying home, off-premise beer sales skyrocketed week after week, topping $1 billion ahead of Memorial Day weekend.
However, those sales so far haven’t made up for the loss of on-premise draft sales. Craft breweries, many of whom don’t sell their products in national off-premise chains and who rely heavily on draft sales on their own premises, have been disproportionately affected.
Jones and Watson discuss how the summer selling season, a key time for beer sales, is progressing and where the ceiling might be for off-premise beer sales in a year in which sales have already hit their normal highwater marks.
Brewbound Frontlines is live every Thursday and viewers are encouraged to submit questions for our panelists at (617) 336-8560.
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Published by BevNET.com Inc., Brewbound is a leading industry trade publication providing comprehensive information about the beer space, analysis of industry trends and in-depth interviews with industry leaders. In addition to providing daily news, Brewbound also gathers entrepreneurs and executives to exchange ideas, discuss the state of the industry and hear strategies for succeeding in the alcohol beverage segment via a series of nationwide meetups and multi-day business conferences.