Data from CGA’s exclusive On Premise Measurement (OPM) service reveals seasonals’ sales by volume have fallen by 12.3% over the last 52 weeks to November 2023. They now have a 3.6% share of total beer sales in the US On Premise, a drop of 0.3 percentage points from a year earlier.
Pressure on seasonal beer follows a battle for craft draft handles in bars and restaurants. This has reduced sampling opportunities for new and limited seasonals— and with competition still growing, CGA expects the trend to continue into 2024.
Seasonal beer sales traditionally peak in the Summer and Fall, before declining in the Winter months. However, CGA’s data indicates that trading was slower in these seasons in 2023 than in 2021 and 2022.
In-depth analysis of the category from CGA’s OPM service highlights important differences in seasonal beer sales from state to state. The strongest performance over the last 12 months has been in Pennsylvania, where seasonal beer took a 7.5% share of total beer sales—a year-on-year increase of 1.3 percentage points. However, no other state except Tennessee recorded an increase, with California seeing the steepest fall of 0.8 percentage points. Seasonal beer’s share of sales is now below 2% in other key states including Florida and Texas.
Meanwhile, further analysis of Seasonal sales by channel highlighted the importance of drink-led venues, including bars and nightclubs, as it was dining and chain outlets where Seasonal beer underperformed.
Matthew Compton, CGA by NIQ’s regional director – North America, said: “Seasonal beer is an important element of the craft category, but competition for space and spend have put it under strain. Nevertheless, it remains an appealing option for an important cohort of consumers, and a recovery is possible with the right campaigns and activations. Identifying channel opportunities, aligning seasonal beer runs with menu updates can help prioritise the style within venues such as casual dining, and understanding the reasons behind their choices will be vital, and we’re excited to be able to support suppliers’ revival strategies in 2024.”
Matthew Compton, CGA by NIQ’s regional director – North America, said: “CGA’s OPM solution delivers in-depth insights into sales trends in seasonal beer across the US On Premise, including by state, channel and season. To discover more about the service and opportunities for expert bespoke analysis, contact Matthew Crompton matthew.crompton@nielseniq.com or visit https://cgastrategy.com/unlock-the-potential-of-opm.
