Wine has always been the adult beverage of choice for supper clubs. The increased popularity of Craft Beer and the fact that hard liquor (without mixers) presents a low/calorie/carb option has brought the wine choice into question. A deeper dive into the data might suggest otherwise.
Per the Wall Street Journal Americans aren’t drinking beer like they used to.
AB InBev, Heineken, and Molson Coors have all reported significant drops in beer volume in the U.S. in the first quarter of this year. According to The Wall Street Journal, AB InBev (BUD, -0.39%) saw a 4.1% drop, Molson Coors (TAP-A) a 3.8% drop, and Heineken (HKHHF, +0.75%) saw a “high-single-digit percentage” drop.
The decline in sales is brought on both by consumers increasingly turning to other alcoholic beverages like whiskey and wine, and an overall falloff in alcohol consumption.
Craft beer sales have taken a hit as well “Some of the country’s biggest craft brewers are struggling with falling sales, hurt by a glut of competitors crowding retail shelves and moves by megabrewers to scoop up some of their rivals.” “They used to say a rising tide lifts all boats. And it is definitely not that now,” Mr. Steinman said. His firm estimates that shipment volumes declined for 16 of the top 36 craft-style U.S. brewers last year.
So where are the trends going. Yes I am a data freak. If you look at three key variables the answer becomes clear
- Health trends with calorie and carb content are important.
- People want a balance between alcohol and calorie/carb content
- Supper clubbers want to socialize, not get wasted
The data tells a very clear story:
- Beer just isn’t the answer. Calorie and carb content are an issue for regular and craft beers and lite beer while somewhat healthier just is not the answer.
- Hard liquor while great (Low calorie/carb) by itself when you add in mixers to make cocktails issues arise.
- Wine, while not a panacea, certainly presents a healthier alternative and pares well with foodie delights
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