Accessibility Tools

05 May 2017

Outlook for beer sales in 2017: down 0.5 percent or flat

Brewers will hope that Michael Bellas, Chairman and CEO of the Beverage Marketing Corporation, got his forecast wrong. At the Beverage Forum in Chicago (27 - 28 April 2017) he said that this year’s beer sales in the US could drop by 0.5 percent or, at best, stay flat.

Cider, which used to be a boom segment until a few years ago, could witness volume declines of between four and six percent, whereas spirits and wine would grow their sales.

This is largely in sync with recent consumption trends.

In 2016, Mr Bellas reported, beer sales only grew 0.1 percent in volume after rising 0.2 percent in 2015. Imports were up as were craft beer sales, albeit at a slower rate.

“The high-end has become a focus for all brewers”, Mr Bellas argued, adding his estimate that super-premium beers could soon reach 50 percent of industry revenues for beer.

But one should not underestimate the competition from wine and spirits. Spirits sales rose 2 percent in 2016, mainly on the back of whiskey. Also, craft spirits are rising in popularity. There are now over 1,300 craft distilleries.

Wine sales too were up – by 1.2 percent in volume. Premium wines in particular (those which sell for over USD 10 per bottle) outpaced the category, despite competition among the 10,000 or so US wineries.

Craft brewers may find Mr Bellas’ forecasts a tad disheartening as they imply even stiffer competition and, should owners ponder an exit, generally lower values for their breweries. As one analyst said, craft is now a buyer’s market and the heady prices paid for craft breweries a thing of the past.

Brauwelt International Newsletter

Newsletter archive and information

Mandatory field

Brauwelt International Newsletter

Newsletter archive and information

Mandatory field

BRAUWELT on tour

Trends in Brewing
06 Apr 2025 - 09 Apr 2025
kalender-icon