Good afternoon,

Linked below is the State Shipments for August 2019.

Here are a few key findings:

• We estimate consumer retail spending on beer, including both domestic and imported brands, was up 1% during August 2019.
• Beer shipment volume was down 5.6% in raw terms and minus 1.3% adjusting for one lost selling day compared to August 2018.
• August performance was generally strongest in states west of the Mississippi, where average temperatures were warmer and less rainy.
• Beer volume was up 50% in Oklahoma in August due to the state cycling inventory changes that took place last year as a result of the state’s shift towards full-strength beer.
• August’s decline in shipment volume was partially due to out-of-stock issues on certain fast-growing products, particularly hard seltzers.
• In addition, August’s decline was partially driven by consumer trade-up to imports and FMBs, including hard seltzers, as well as trade out to wine and hard liquor.  Because imports and hard seltzers tend to be more expensive, less volume is sold.

If you have any questions, please reach out.

Cheers,

Michael Uhrich
Chief Economist