Beer dollar sales in off-premise retailers are up 10.3%, to $7.9 billion, year-to-date through March 22nd in off-premise multi-outlet and convenience stores tracked by market research firm IRI.
For the four-week period ending March 22nd, dollar sales increased 18%, to $2.9 billion, the firm reported. Over those four weeks, all segments increased dollar sales: domestic premium (+7.4%), imports (+15.4%), domestic sub-premium (+9.3%), FMBs (86.1%), craft (15.2%), domestic super premiums (20.5%), cider (+9.6%) and non-alcoholic (50.5%).
Over the last four weeks, the top 11 selling craft brands are up at least double digits, with Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.’s Hazy Little Thing IPA the only brand up triple digits (+137.4% for the four weeks, and up 123.2% year-to-date).
Among the brands reversing their year-to-date trends have been flagship offerings such as Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (+10.7% for the last four weeks, but -0.4% year-to-date), Samuel Adams Boston Lager (+22.3% for the last four weeks, and now +2.3% year-to-date) and New Belgium Brewing Company’s Fat Tire Amber Ale (+12.6% for the four weeks, but -2.6% year-to-date).
Fast-growing brands over the last four weeks include New Belgium Voodoo Ranger Imperial IPA (+8,355%) and Voodoo Ranger Liquid Paradise IPA (+132.6%).
Sierra Nevada’s portfolio-wide dollar sales are up 26.4% over the last four weeks, and up 13.6% year-to-date. New Belgium dollar sales are up 36.9% during the four-week period, and up 20.1% year-to-date.
Other notable craft beer companies posting double-digit dollar sales growth over the last four weeks include Gambrinus (+17.1%), Craft Brew Alliance (+10.1%), CANarchy Craft Brewery Collective (+29.9%), Firestone Walker Brewing Company (+34.1%), Bell’s Brewery, Inc. (+50.9%) and Artisanal Brewing Ventures (+28.1%).
Among the top 25 overall vendors, dollar sales for only one company, Stone Brewing (-4.1%), were in decline during the four-week period ending March 22nd. Comparatively, year-to-date dollar sales are in the red for four companies, including D.G. Yuengling & Son (-1.1%), Lagunitas Brewing Company (-0.2%), Stone (-11.6%) and Deschutes Brewery (-5.4%). The negative trends rebounded for Yuengling (+8.9%), Lagunitas (+6.2%) and Deschutes (+2.5%).
Over the last four weeks, dollar sales for the largest beer companies continued to grow, including Anheuser-Busch InBev (+11.6%), Molson Coors Beverage Company (+10.6%), Constellation Brands (+24%), Mark Anthony Brands (+142.7%), Heineken USA (+7.5%), Boston Beer Company (+55.1%), Diageo (+13.3%) and Pabst Brewing Company (+11.1%).
The top two hard seltzer brands, Mark Anthony’s White Claw and Boston Beer’s Truly, continued their triple-digit growth trends, up 363.5% and 226.1%, respectively, for the four weeks ending March 22nd. White Claw and Truly are up 330.4% and 207.4%, respectively, year-to-date.
