U.S. beer sales fell 4.7% after the Labor Day bump faded

U.S. beer sales fell again in the four weeks ending Sept. 5, even as Labor Day shopping gave the category a brief lift at the end of the summer, according to new NielsenIQ data.

NIQ said dollar sales for total beer, excluding flavored malt beverages and hard seltzer, dropped 4.7% from a year earlier in the latest four-week period, while case volume fell 5.9%. The data points to a category that is still under pressure after the summer selling season, with the holiday weekend providing only a short-term boost rather than a broader turnaround.

Weekly sales improved heading into Labor Day. NIQ said dollar sales rose to $950.2 million in the latest week from $905.6 million the week before, an increase of 4.9%, as consumers stocked up for holiday gatherings. But the broader four-week trend remained negative, suggesting that the holiday did not reverse the category’s underlying slowdown.

The market research firm said industrywide challenges and weaker consumer engagement accounted for 69% of the category’s decline in the period, while reduced distribution support represented 23%. NIQ said beer producers are now looking to fall events, especially football season, as the next demand driver that could support sales.

The pressure was most visible in the category’s largest segments. Domestic premium beer posted some of the steepest losses, with dollar sales down 8.3% and volume down 9.2%. Craft beer matched the 8.3% decline in dollar sales and fell 9.4% in volume. Imports held up better than many other segments, though they still declined, with sales down 3.1% and volume off 4.3%.

Domestic super premium beer came closest to stabilizing. NIQ said dollar sales in that segment slipped just 0.3%, while volume was down 0.5%. The report indicated that the small pockets of growth in the broader beer market are increasingly coming from outside the traditional core segments that have long driven sales.

Two of those areas continued to expand in the latest period. Cider sales rose 1.7% in dollars and 0.5% in cases. Non-alcoholic beer posted the strongest growth, up 7.8% in both dollar sales and volume. NIQ said consumer interest in moderation, wellness, and better-for-you options continues to support demand in non-alcoholic beer, a segment that has outperformed much of the rest of the category.

Among brewers, Anheuser-Busch remained the largest manufacturer by dollar sales, though its sales fell 4.5% and it lost 3.0 million cases in the period. Constellation ranked second and showed more resilience than several larger peers, with dollar sales down 1.7% and case sales down 717,000. Molson Coors Beverage Co. was third, with dollar sales down 7.2% and case volume down 2.4 million. Heineken USA ranked fourth, with dollar sales down 9.5% and case sales down 474,800. New Belgium Brewing was fifth and the only company among the top five by sales to post growth, with dollar sales up 6.0% and case volume up 55,700.

The fastest dollar growth among manufacturers also came from smaller players. New Belgium led that ranking, followed by Sapporo Breweries, which posted 20.8% growth in dollar sales and added 25,700 cases. Asahi Beer USA recorded 38.2% dollar growth, though from a smaller base, with case gains of 7,000. Athletic Brewing Co., a non-alcoholic beer producer, grew dollar sales 2.4% and added 5,700 cases. Narragansett Brewing Company increased dollar sales 6.2% and case volume by 3,400.

At the brand level, Modelo remained the top brand by dollar sales, despite a 2.2% decline and a loss of 508,700 cases. Budweiser ranked second and posted one of the larger declines among major brands, with dollar sales down 9.7% and volume down 2.1 million cases. Michelob ranked third and was the only brand in the top five by dollar sales to grow, with revenue up 3.0% and volume up 332,700 cases. Corona was fourth, with dollar sales down 5.3% and case volume down 519,600. Coors ranked fifth, with dollar sales down 5.5% and volume down 788,600 cases.

Michelob also led the top five brands by dollar growth. Pacifico followed with dollar sales up 14.3% and case volume up 223,100. Victoria rose 15.8% in dollar sales and added 76,600 cases. New Belgium brand sales increased 7.6% with 57,600 more cases sold. Angry Orchard, the cider brand, rounded out the group with dollar sales up 10.0% and case volume up 35,600.

The latest numbers underscore how uneven the beer market has become. The biggest domestic and craft segments are still contracting, while growth is shifting toward imports in selected brands, cider, and especially non-alcoholic beer. Labor Day helped retailers and brewers capture a late-summer sales bump, but the August data from NIQ shows that the category enters the fall still facing soft demand and declining volume.