US Beer Demand to See Minimal Annual Gains in Volume Terms to 2023

Cleveland, OH, November 7, 2019 — US beer demand is forecast to see minimal average annual gains in volume terms through 2023, according to Beer: United States, a report recently released by Freedonia Focus Reports. Market maturity will prevent faster growth. While the popularity of craft beers will drive further gains in value terms, the higher price of such products will restrain volume growth. Slight demand advances for beer packaged in metal cans will reflect the ongoing cannibalization of the glass bottle segment, driven by improved public perception regarding the quality of canned beer, partially a consequence of increasing adoption of cans by craft beer makers. However, the recent US tariffs on aluminum have negatively affected producers of canned beer by increasing the price paid for aluminum cans, reducing the overall profit margin. Furthermore, some brewers have passed this increased price on to consumers, limiting demand growth.

Through 2023, levels of US beer production and removals – beer shipped for consumption or sale – are expected to remain near 2018 totals. Some stability will result from an improving economy. Expansion in the population aged 25-44, the dominant consumers of beer, is expected to support segment growth. Craft and flavored beers will continue to account for most of the volume growth of production and removals. However, faster gains will be restrained by a high level of competition from international brewers and other alcoholic beverages such as hard seltzers.

These and other key insights are featured in Beer: United States. This report forecasts to 2023 US beer demand, production, and removals in gallons. Total demand is segmented by packaging type in terms of:

• metal cans
• glass bottles
• draft
• other packaging types such as aluminum bottles, plastic bottles, and refill glass bottles

To illustrate historical trends, total demand, production, removals, and the various segments are provided in annual series from 2008 to 2018.

Removals encompass all beer removed from breweries for sale or consumption (including exports), as well as beer sold and consumed on brewery premises. Non-alcoholic beer and non-beer malt-based beverages – “malternatives” such as coolers, hard cider, and hard lemonade – are regarded as beer for the purposes of this report, as they share much in common with traditional beer production. Re-exports of beer are excluded from demand and trade figures.

More information about the report is available at:

https://www.freedoniafocusreports.com/Beer-United-States-FF10010/?progid=91541