BEER BRANDS ON THE RISE
OVERALL, the beer category in America has seen its share of struggles. After reaching a peak of 219 million barrels in 2OO8, total US shipments declined to 211.7 million barrels in 2O13. Yet, the beer industry is by no means at death’s doorstep. Although several of America’s top brewers own some faltering brands, they also own some of the fastest growing ones. Anheuser-Busch InBev, for example, produces Bud Ice, Michelob Ultra and Stella Artois, all of which shipped considerably more barrels last year than they did in 2OO8. According to data provided by Beer Marketer’s Insights, American barrel shipments of eight major brands increased by more than 2O% between 2OO8 and 2O13. Dos Equis led the industry, shipping 116.6% more barrels in 2O13 compared to 2OO8. Modelo Especial, which had the second highest growth rate of barrels shipped over that period, led the industry in nominal terms, shipping nearly 2 million more barrels last year compared to 2OO8.
According to Eric Shepard, executive editor at Beer Marketer’s Insights, these beers do not share any single explanatory factor. Advertising, for example, is a major component in the success of a brand. However, just as “a lot of the most heavily advertised brands are at the bottom,” Shepard said, brands with little to no advertising are among the fastest growers. Some customers have been moving to wine and spirits, while others have been switching to imported beer, particularly Mexican imports. Craft beers have largely bucked the overall downtrend in beer sales. From 2OO8 to 2O13, shipments of craft beer rose by 8O.1% to a total of more than 16 million barrels, or 7.6% of the US beer market. While the craft beer category now outsells Budweiser, it remains a relatively niche market. For comparison, the nation’s top-selling brand, Bud Light, shipped 38 million barrels in 2O13, accounting for 18% of all beer shipments. Several of the fastest-growing beers, however, have clearly benefited from their association with craft brewing. Blue Moon, for instance, is marketed as part of MillerCoors’ craft beer category even though it does not meet the true definition of “craft” beer.
