Dive Brief:
- Americans are drinking 20% less beer than they did in the early 1990s, and the beers they are drinking are not their fathers' brand.
- The consumption of Michelob light, Michelob Ultra Amber, and Michelob has fallen sharply at the rate of 51%, 43%, and 41%, respectively.
- Beer drinkers are turning to brands like Blue Moon, Pabst Blue Ribbon, and Yuengling: From 2008 to 2012, consumption grew by over 100%, just under 100%, and just over 90%, respectively. Craft beers have also taken off: There are over 2,700 craft breweries in the U.S., up from just one in 1976.
Dive Insight:
Given that the beer market trend is so clear, it's a wonder that beer manufacturers are still trying to push the same old stuff on a consumer group that wants something different. But some big beer companies are willing to change. AB Inbev acquired regional brewer Goose Island in 2011, and announced in February that it would buy Blue Point Brewing. Even without the resources of bigger companies behind them, smaller breweries are expanding, as in the case of Mitten.