Beer Distributors NAICS 424810

Jan 20, 2026 - Rising Demand for Low/No-Alcohol Beer

• Rising consumer demand for low‑ and no‑alcohol (NA) beverages is reshaping demand patterns for beer and other alcoholic beverages, Beverage Industry reports. Moderation, health concerns, and price sensitivity are pushing more consumers toward NA beer, low‑ABV options, functional seltzers, and emerging non‑alcoholic spirits, creating both growth opportunities and portfolio pressures for distributors. NA beer is growing at strong double‑digit rates, led by brands like Athletic, Heineken 0.0, and HopWater, while low‑ABV beer growth is concentrated in Michelob Ultra, Heineken Silver, Modelo Oro, and Corona Premier. For distributors, this means expanding SKU mixes beyond traditional beer into premium NA offerings, functional beverages, and RTD‑style low‑ABV products. Premiumization is lifting margins, but higher price points and consumer value concerns require careful channel and pricing strategies. Because NA products can be sold in non‑licensed accounts, distributors face new route‑to‑market dynamics and broader retail competition.
• Michelob Ultra is now the top-selling beer in the US, overtaking Modelo Especial, CNBC reported in September. The light lager claimed the title of the best-selling beer in retail channels in the 52 weeks ended Sept. 14, parent company Anheuser-Busch announced, citing data from consumer research firm Circana. The beer was also the top seller in bars and restaurants, according to Nielsen IQ data for the 52 weeks ended July 12. Michelob Ultra’s ascent returns an Anheuser-Busch beer to the top spot. In 2023, the company’s Bud Light brand lost the title to Modelo amid a consumer backlash against the brand and growing cultural cachet for Modelo. Previously, Bud Light had held the title as the US’s top-selling beer for more than two decades. Modelo brewer Constellation Brands recently reported weaker demand from Hispanic consumers, a key segment of its customer base, per CNBC.

• The percentage of US adults who say they consume beer and other alcoholic beverages has fallen to 54%, the lowest level in Gallup’s nearly 90-year trend, the polling firm reported in August. Gallup’s annual Consumption Habits survey, conducted in July, found the figure fell to 62% in 2023 and to 58% in 2024, before reaching 54% today. The downward trend coincides with recent research indicating that any level of alcohol consumption may negatively affect health, a sharp reversal from previous recommendations that moderate drinking could offer some protective benefits. More than a third (38%) of US drinkers cite beer as the alcoholic beverage they consume most often, exceeding the 30% who name liquor and 29% who name wine. The survey also found that men are far more likely than women to reach for a beer (52% vs. 23%).
• Producer prices for beer, wine, and distilled alcoholic beverage merchant wholesalers were flat in September compared to a year ago, after rising 5.6% in the previous September-versus-September annual comparison, according to the latest US Bureau of Labor Statistics data. At retail, in September the price of beer for home consumption rose 1.1% year over year and 0.2% month over month, while the price for away-from-home beer consumption rose 3.6% YoY and 0.4% MoM, according to the BLS’s September 2025 Consumer Price Index report. Employment by beer and ale merchant wholesalers was flat YoY in August, while the average wage at beer distributors rose 6.2% over the same period to a new high of $28.28 per hour, BLS data show.