In a May 2017 Insights from New York-based Nielsen titled “The State of the U.S. Beer Market,” the market research firm highlights that Americans spent more than $37 billion on beer during the year-end period of Feb. 25, 2017, across Nielsen-measured channels. Although the beer market maintains its dominance, Nielsen notes that the category benefitted more from pricing strategies than consumption trends.
“Despite the massive scale of the category, however, sales growth in recent times has largely been due to pricing rather than increased consumption,” the Insights states. “In fact, beer has lost some of its footing over the past five years or so, with consumers across generations spending more on wine and spirts without increasing their overall alcoholic beverage spending.”