It wasn’t just Bud Light.
The past year saw the lowest level of beer consumed in the U.S. in a generation, according to industry group Beer Marketer’s Insights, as consumers shifted away from traditional favorites to other forms of alcohol — and in a growing number of cases, avoiding alcoholic beverages altogether.
“It was a tough year for beer,” said David Steinman, BMI vice president and executive editor.
For the first time since 1999, he said, beer shipments were on track to fall below 200 million barrels.
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Leading the decline, Steinman said, was Anheuser Busch. But while the Bud Light-maker caught headlines over a sponsorship agreement with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney that subsequently led to a boycott among some longtime drinkers, the protest does not explain why overall consumption still managed to fall, Steinman said.
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