Is beer fading?

Over the past few weeks, I’ve written about both how beer fared in 2023 and some thoughts on what’s in store for 2024. While I remain cautiously optimistic overall, some clouds gathering on the horizon can still give me pause.

One such specter was the focus of a recent story on Fox News Digital by Anders Hagstrom. The piece noted that Americans drank less beer in 2023 than any other year this century. No matter what the extenuating circumstances, that fact can’t be seen as a positive for beer fans.

Of course, craft beer still only makes up a small percentage of the overall U.S. beer market. So part of the 2023 decline has to be blamed on the boycott against Bud Light. You might recall that the boycott was fueled by conservative reaction to Bud Light’s sponsorship agreement with transgender activist and social media influencer Dylan Mulvaney.

The brand commemorated Muvaney’s year of identifying as a woman by showcasing cans with the influencer’s likeness. This decision provoked backlash causing Bud Light’s sales to plummet 30% from 2022.

Nevertheless, even such a significant blow to one brand, regardless of its size, can’t fully explain why beer has reached a 23-year low.

As detailed in a recent Washington Examiner report, the changing preferences of younger generations are contributing to the dwindling beer sales. The report cited an MRI-Simmons data firm survey revealing that Generation Z drank less alcohol in comparison to other legal adults in the country. Only 58% of respondents acknowledged consuming alcohol in the past six months and a mere 56% of that group had consumed beer.

The widespread legalization of marijuana seems to have also taken a part of the beer market share. The younger generation appears to prefer marijuana over alcohol. Market analysts predict that sales will continue to fall steadily and show no sign of rebounding in 2024.

But everything is relative: Considering beer enjoyed more than a decade of extremely robust sales, it can probably take a hit. And the main indicator of beer’s flatlining was pointed out in a Slate article midway last year: Beer sales aren’t horrible; it just has lost market share to other types of alcohol. Last year was the first time beer came in second place for market share: Spirits edged out beer 42.9% to 41.2% as far as market share.

So let’s not think the sky is falling (and it certainly seems like Skye Vodka isn’t falling), but instead let’s keep celebrating the Golden Age of Beer we live in, by raising a glass – of beer, of course.

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