U.S. beer sales fell 4.4% in the four weeks ending Aug. 15.

U.S. beer sales remained under pressure in the four weeks ending Aug. 15, according to NielsenIQ’s latest Full View: U.S. Beer Pulse report, as weaker consumer demand and reduced distribution continued to weigh on the category during the late summer selling season.

NielsenIQ said dollar sales for beer fell 4.4% from a year earlier, while case volume dropped 5.5%. The report covers total beer sales in U.S. retail channels, excluding flavored malt beverages and hard seltzer. Weekly dollar sales also moved lower, slipping to $913.6 million from $922.2 million the previous week, a 0.9% decline.

The data points to a category that is no longer getting as much support from seasonal summer drinking occasions. NielsenIQ said soft consumer demand was the main reason for the decline, accounting for 71% of the drop, while fewer points of distribution contributed another 24%. That means much of the weakness came from shoppers buying less, with a smaller but still meaningful share tied to reduced shelf presence and availability.

The broad downturn was concentrated in the largest traditional beer segments. Domestic premium posted some of the steepest declines, with both dollar sales and volume down 8.0% from a year earlier. Craft beer also remained weak, with dollar sales falling 7.1% and volume down 8.8%. Imports performed better than those segments but still declined, with dollar sales off 3.3% and case volume down 4.4%.

The report showed only limited growth in a few smaller parts of the market. Domestic super premium was slightly positive, rising 0.4% in both dollar sales and volume. Cider also grew, with dollar sales up 2.7% and volume up 1.3%. Non-alcoholic beer remained the strongest area, with both dollar sales and volume increasing 8.9%. NielsenIQ attributed that strength to continued interest from consumers focused on health and wellness.

The manufacturer rankings show that the biggest suppliers were still losing ground overall, even as a handful of smaller or more specialized companies expanded. Anheuser-Busch remained the largest manufacturer by dollar sales, but its sales fell 4.2% and it lost 2.5 million cases from a year earlier. Constellation held the No. 2 spot, with dollar sales down 2.2% and case volume lower by 799,000 cases. Molson Coors Beverage Co. ranked third and posted a 7.1% drop in dollar sales, along with a loss of 2.4 million cases. Heineken USA was fourth, with dollar sales down 8.7% and case volume down 411,800 cases.

New Belgium Brewing stood out among the top five manufacturers. It ranked fifth by dollars and was the only company in that group to post growth, with dollar sales rising 5.8% and case volume increasing by 53,400 cases. In NielsenIQ’s ranking of manufacturers by dollar growth, New Belgium led the list, followed by Sapporo Breweries Ltd., where dollar sales rose 18.8% and case volume increased by 22,400 cases. Athletic Brewing Co., which operates in the non-alcoholic segment, posted 3.9% dollar growth and added 12,100 cases. Asahi Beer USA showed the fastest dollar growth rate among the group at 37.8%, though on a smaller base, with case gains of 6,500. Diageo also made the growth ranking with a 1.5% increase in dollar sales, even as its case volume declined by 5,300.

At the brand level, Modelo remained the largest beer brand by dollar sales, despite a 3.0% year-over-year decline and a loss of 622,300 cases. Budweiser ranked second and had one of the sharpest drops among the major brands, with dollar sales down 9.8% and volume lower by 1.8 million cases. Michelob ranked third and was the only brand in the top five by dollars to grow, with sales up 3.6% and case volume up 399,000. Corona was fourth, with dollar sales down 5.7% and volume off 543,800 cases, while Coors ranked fifth, with a 4.9% sales decline and a drop of 745,500 cases.

Michelob also led NielsenIQ’s ranking of top brands by dollar growth. Pacifico followed with dollar sales up 17.6% and case volume higher by 280,900 cases. Victoria posted 15.3% dollar growth and gained 72,600 cases. New Belgium, listed as a brand, rose 6.7% in dollar sales and added 44,900 cases. Angry Orchard, a cider brand, rounded out the group with dollar sales up 8.3% and case volume up 23,700 cases.

The latest numbers suggest the U.S. beer market is becoming more divided. Many of the large, established segments continued to lose sales and volume even during the summer, when beer usually sees stronger demand. At the same time, growth remained concentrated in a narrower set of products, especially non-alcoholic beer, some import-linked brands and a few premium or cider offerings.

The report indicates that pricing alone has not been enough to offset weaker traffic and lower consumption in the core business. Dollar sales fell less than volume in several segments, which can suggest some mix or pricing support, but the overall direction remained negative. That pattern was visible across domestic premium, craft and imports, where case losses exceeded or matched declines in dollar sales.

For the largest brewers, the pressure is especially clear in the volume figures. Anheuser-Busch and Molson Coors together lost nearly 4.9 million cases in the four-week period from a year earlier, while Budweiser alone was down 1.8 million cases. Even Modelo, still the top brand by dollars, showed a decline in both revenue and volume.

By contrast, the strongest positive numbers came from brands and companies tied to areas of the market that have continued to attract new buyers or changing drinking habits. Athletic Brewing’s gain matched the broader rise in non-alcoholic beer, and the performance of Pacifico, Victoria and Michelob pointed to continued consumer interest in selected premium and import-adjacent labels. NielsenIQ’s data for the period ending Aug. 15 showed those pockets of growth were not large enough to reverse the broader decline across total beer.