Companies and Brands

The Fastest-Growing Beer Brand in America

Douglas A. McIntyre

Published: November 30, 2023 1:40 pm

There are several hundred beer brands in America. Most are regional or even brewed for distribution from a single location. Microbreweries, unheard of several decades ago, are now a regular part of the beer-drinking landscape. However, several breweries continue to dominate the market share, and each has several brands. According to the Beer Exchange, Anheuser-Busch, Molson Coors and Pabst are among the largest breweries.

Breweries often rely on a small number of brands for their sales. Anheuser-Busch relies on Budweiser and Bud Light. A boycott cost Bud Light, the leading beer in the country by sales volume, which was down by 30% in late August and early September. Fox News Digital spoke to Harry Schuhmacher, the Beer Business Daily publisher, who said the huge drop could not be reversed, “That tells me that this is quasi-permanent, meaning those consumers are just lost forever.”

As Bud Light sales have declined, a brewer that competes with Anheuser Busch has picked up share. Constellation Brands owns Modelo Especial. According to data, it was the fastest-growing beer brand in America three months ago. Statista reports it has kept that advantage through the end of October. Modelo Especial sales for the year are up 13.9% compared to the same period a year ago. Just behind it are Michelob Ultra, an Anheuser Busch brand, up just over 8.3%, and Corona Extra, which is also up 8.3%, and which Constellation Brands owns. (See which 18 beers are trending right now.)

Modelo was first brewed in 1925 in Mexico. The beer has two sub-brands. One is Modelo Especial. The other is Negra Modelo. Parent Constellation Brands owns several other well-known products, including Corona and Svedka Vodka.