CRAFT COOLS WHILE MEXICO HEATS UP

IT LOOKS AS if the long-anticipated craft beer slowdown may be arriving. While Mexican beer volumes in the US have remained strong in the three months leading to May 21, craft brands have seen their healthy growth rates slip back, according to recent figures. In a round-up of Nielsen data for the three month period, Bernstein analyst Trevor Stirling said overall beer volumes in the US were down by 1.5% compared to the year-prior. “The slowdown in craft beer continues,” said Stirling. “The top two craft brewers, Boston Beer and Sierra Nevada are now both in decline. Combined volumes for the top-12 craft brewers grew only 1% for the three months to May and, even excluding Boston Beer and Sierra Nevada, growth for the same period was only 5%.” In May 2O15, the top 12 posted around 15% growth. There’s no need to panic, the bubble is hardly bursting. This is merely a realistic tempering of a category that couldn’t possibly sustain that type of growth forever.