US alcohol retail sales decline 3.4% during summer season

U.S. retail alcohol sales experienced a decline during the summer season, with total sales falling 3.4% to $8.5 billion for the four-week period ending August 15, 2026. According to NielsenIQ data, case volumes dropped by 5.3%.

The beer category faced significant weakness, with dollar sales decreasing by 4.4%. While major producer Anheuser-Busch saw a 4.2% decline, New Belgium was among the few top five producers to grow, increasing by 5.8%. Within brands, Pacifico saw a 17.6% increase, while Budweiser declined by nearly 10%. Notably, non-alcoholic beer was a bright spot, growing by 8.9% in both value and volume.

Spirits also saw a decline, with value down 3.2% and volume down 3.5%, marking the 28th consecutive week of negative growth. Geographically, the downturn was widespread, with significant volume drops in Washington (-9.7%) and value drops in Massachusetts (-7.0%).