Data

Could craft off-premise scan data be beginning to turn the corner as the calendar heads toward the holidays? In the four-week period ending November 3 (L4W), craft dollar sales declined -1.9% year-over-year (YoY) and volume (case sales) declined -3.4% in multi-outlet grocery, mass retail and convenience stores (MULO+C), according to the most recent report from market research firm Circana.

This report, which provides a Q4 supply chain update, features exclusive content created just for our Brewbound Insider audience!

Inflation for beer continued to outpace trends for total bev-alc in October, but lessened versus September, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in its Consumer Price Index (CPI) report.

The on-premise channel – including bars, restaurants, event venues and more – is primed to provide growth for beer. The key for suppliers and distributors to capitalize on that opportunity is to understand what retail operators are prioritizing, including profitability and efficiency, according to Levy Restaurants director of beverage analytics and strategy Scott Brown and BeerBoard chief strategy officer Brandy Rand.

Non-alcoholic beer continues to be one of a handful of beer segments to record growth in scans. However, beer is also finding growth at the other end of the ABV spectrum, and was the subject of the latest report from Bump Williams Consulting (BWC).

The U.S.’s total beer supply declined -6.7% year-over-year (YoY) in September, as built-up summer inventories (domestic production plus imports) fell back in line with depletion trends, according to Beer Institute (BI) chief economist Andrew Heritage.

Metal cans have regained the share of beer volume they lost in the prior year, according to the Beer Institute’s (BI) new packaging mix report. Cans accounted for 64.1% of beer volume in 2023, marking a return to the same share they held in 2021 after a slight dip to 62.9% in 2022.

Beer distributors continue to have a “cautious outlook” on category trends through the final months of 2024, according to the National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) and the October Beer Purchasers’ Index (BPI).

The upcoming holiday season gives consumers an excuse to celebrate in bars and restaurants, and could give the on-premise a welcome boost as 2024 comes to a close, according to CGA, the on-premise arm of market research firm NIQ.

Nearly one-quarter of consumers plan to purchase boo-ze for their Halloween celebrations, according to market research firm Numerator. For 23% of holiday survey respondents, beverage-alcohol products are on the list for their spooky season soirees, which is nearly double the rate of those who plan to buy non-alcoholic drinks (12%). Beer is the most popular… Read more »

Craft declines continue to soften in off-premise scans, according to market research firm Circana. Craft dollar sales in Circana-tracked off-premise channels (multi-outlet + convenience) declined -3.6% and volume -5.4% year-over-year (YoY) in the four-week period ending October 6.

Beer trends remained “relatively stable” in the convenience channel in Q3, according to Goldman Sachs analyst Bonnie Herzog in the latest BevBytes report. Goldman Sachs surveyed retailers representing 28,000 locations, or 19% of total c-stores. Respondents reported +3% year-over-year (YoY) sales growth for beer in Q3.

Inflation for beer at home continued to outpace the broader beverage-alcohol category in September, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in its most recent Consumer Price Index (CPI) report.

Craft breweries made an average of $1,511.35 in total revenue per barrel of beer sold in 2023, according to the Brewers Association’s (BA) financial benchmarking survey.