Insights show increase in Draft Beer consumption, Tequila also tops spirit category sales, led by margaritas
SYRACUSE, NY (June 4, 2024) — Despite less-than-desirable weather across most of the U.S. over 2024 Memorial Day weekend, on-premise performance data shows a promising increase in not only the amount of draft beer consumed, but also overall sales when compared to last year. BeerBoard, the leader in total beverage alcohol technology solutions and automated intelligence for the on-premise hospitality industry, reports that the number of kegs poured over the four-day holiday period was up 12% on a per location basis compared to 2023, with sales up 32%.
Domestics led overall draft volumes with light lagers commanding a 41% volume share. However, Craft contributed the most revenue at a 44% dollar share, with Blue Moon taking the top spot in most poured Craft on draft. Notable style gainers across the tap universe were craft IPAs led by New Belgium Voodoo Ranger Juicy Haze and Mexican Lagers like Estrella Jalisco and Modelo Negra.
With all the talk of consumers cutting back, a return to affordable draft lagers was evident, with Busch Light increasing by 46% volume share. Coors Banquet (7%) and Pabst Blue Ribbon (20%) also gained in volume share compared to 2023.
There was some slight deviation in the volume performance of the top five draft brands over Memorial Day weekend 2024 when compared to 2023:
- Michelob Ultra held on as the top-poured tap, up 13.8% in volume and leading overall dollar sales in draft.
- Miller Lite moved up a spot to the second most-poured tap, but volumes were down slightly by -5%.
- Coors Light fell to the third place, with volumes dropping by -14.5%.
- Modelo Especial, the top-selling import, grew by 13.8% in volume and rose to the fourth spot overall. From a sales perspective, Modelo checked in as the #2-selling brand overall.
- Bud Light dropped to fifth place with a -6% decline in volume.
Rounding out the top 10 most poured draft brands: Dos Equis, Blue Moon, Yuengling, Busch Light and Stella Artois.
On-premise sales of packaged products (bottles and cans) over the 2024 holiday period were led by Imports, with a 46% share in both volume and overall dollars. Lagers topped sales, increasing 45% in dollar share led by Corona Extra. Hard seltzers (both malt and spirit-based) showed a range of flavors across the top five selling brands: White Claw Black Cherry, High Noon Pineapple, Truly Wild Berry, White Claw Mango and Nutrl Watermelon.
White wine was 59% of all wine volume sold across BeerBoard tracked accounts, with Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay tied atop style share. The top five wines poured over the holiday weekend were: Ecco Domani Pinot Grigio, Chateau Ste Michelle Chardonnay, Josh Cabernet, La Marca Prosecco and Chloe Pinot Grigio.
Across spirits, Tito’s topped both volume and dollar sales, followed by Sauza. Unsurprisingly, tequila was the best performing category over Memorial Day weekend with margarita sales holding a 50% share of cocktails sold. Rounding out the top five spirits sold were Hennessy VS Cognac, Jack Daniel’s and Bacardi. Tiki cocktails were the second most popular style of cocktails sold, a nod to kicking off the summer fun.
Unless otherwise noted, all comparisons are the 2024 holiday weekend (May 24-27) vs the 2023 holiday weekend (May 26-29).
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BeerBoard is the leading technology solutions provider for the hospitality industry, enabling retailers, distributors and suppliers to make fact-based decisions about their complete alcohol management. The company manages more than $1 billion in alcohol sales and 100,000 products through its industry-leading solutions. Its patented digital platform captures, analyzes, and reports real-time data related to alcohol ordering, inventory and payments. Versatile and easily operated from a single dashboard, it has streamlined operations, efficiency and improved revenue across the United States. Find out more about how BeerBoard is changing the alcohol industry at beerboard.com.