Industry veterans and analysts are among the first to admit that consumers’ tastes have changed. Although much focus from mainstream media is geared toward the non-alcohol beverage market, the alcohol beverage market has not been immune to the shift in consumer preferences.
“According to IWSR, the U.S. beer market declined 0.5 percent in 2017, [and] total U.S. beverage alcohol con-sumption declined for the second consecutive year by 0.2 percent,” says Jessica Robinson, vice president of portfolio brands with White Plains, N.Y.-based HEINEKEN USA. “This loss is more than double that of 2016. The beer decline weighed down the performance of total beverage alcohol, where the growth of spirits (2.3 percent) and wine (1.3 percent) were unable to make up the difference in volume.”