The Gist by Sightlines – Details, episodes & analysis

Giving context to top news from across alcohol through the reporting and research we've conducted at Sightlines:

1. Beer produced and sold in the U.S. continues a downward trajectory. Latest data from the Beer Institute shows that between May and July, American breweries declined 10 million barrels compared to the same time frame a decade ago. So, what’s the cause? It’s easy to point at cannabis or the “sober-curious,” but we’ll give proper context for what’s going on.

The Narrative About Gen Z Drinkers is Wrong

https://www.sightlines.news/analysis/the-narrative-about-gen-z-drinkers-is-wrong

Sales Data and Research Explains Cannabis Consumers and Lack of Impact on Alcohol

https://www.sightlines.news/analysis/sales-data-and-research-explains-cannabis-consumers-and-impact-on-alcohol

Context Behind Gallup's Latest Polling on Alcohol

https://www.sightlines.news/analysis/context-behind-gallups-latest-polling-on-alcohol

2. While beer slumps, FMBs and RTDs dominate. Across beer, wine, and spirits, “4th category” brands are actually slowing losses as consumers find new kinds of drinks and flavor experiences that give them what they want. We’ll explain the current and long term impact of what this means.

What the Fastest-Growing RTD Brand Teaches Us About Space, Speed, and Staying Power

https://www.sightlines.news/analysis/what-the-fastest-growing-rtd-brand-teaches-us-about-space-speed-and-staying-power

3. Discover the opportunity in draft sales. While kegged beer sales lag pre-pandemic levels, thousands of open draft lines across the country present the chance for new revenue, no matter what gets poured. The Sightlines team previews upcoming insights about why this matters. Subscribe to get these insights in your inbox: https://www.sightlines.news/sign-up 

A summary of reporting and research we've conducted at Sightlines in recent weeks:

1. Michelob Ultra will become the #2 beer in America by dollar sales this year, overtaking Bud Light and trailing only Modelo Especial. Bryan clocked this back in March 2022, for what it’s worth.

Sightlines previewed this change in March 2022 and recently shared context about how and why Michelob Ultra found this new level of success.

https://www.sightlines.news/analysis/branding-lessons-from-michelob-ultras-lap-of-bud-light

2. Monster’s Alcohol Brands – which includes The Beast Unleashed, Nasty Beast Hard Tea, and various craft beers and hard seltzers – also took a hit, with decreasing FMB volumes pushing net sales down -31.9% to $41.6 million, from $61 million in Q2 2023. 

Sightlines offered an in-depth look at what’s going on in convenience stores and how these retails spaces influence consumers elsewhere: https://www.sightlines.news/analysis/c-store-behaviors-influence-shopping-across-all-retail

3. Multigenerational Homes
The Sightlines team previews upcoming insights about one of the key demographic changes in America: the rise of multigenerational households. Hear about why this matters and subscribe to get these insights in your inbox:
https://www.sightlines.news/sign-up

Giving context to top news from across alcohol through the reporting and research we've conducted at Sightlines:

1. Better understand the THC consumer

Sightlines insights have showcased how people who use cannabis also drink alcohol and what that could mean for sales of some categories. We'll also explore new data about who's using THC products.

How Cannabis Use Could Impact On-Premise Drink Purchases

https://www.sightlines.news/analysis/how-cannabis-use-could-impact-on-premise-drink-purchases

Changing Perception of Alcohol, Cannabis Highlight Why Teens Choose Vices Differently

https://www.sightlines.news/analysis/changing-perception-of-alcohol-cannabis-highlight-why-teens-choose-vices-differently

2. Everything is energy

Keurig Dr Pepper recently announced plans to acquire Ghost Beverages, makers of one of the best-selling energy drink brands in the country. Looking past a $1 billion price tag, this move explains how companies see the energy category and its many different potential customers.

Even Non-Alcoholic Drinks Thrive by Offering a "Buzz"

https://www.sightlines.news/analysis/non-alcoholic-drinks-thrive-by-offering-a-buzz

Drinkers Match Moods with Any Beverage, So Position Yours to Matter When It Counts

https://www.sightlines.news/analysis/drinkers-match-moods-with-any-beverage-so-position-yours-to-matter-when-it-counts

3. Do these non-alcoholic beer moves add up?

Actor Tom Holland is swinging into the segment while Athletic Brewing is trying to capture more space in stores with 19.2oz cans. Meanwhile, more breweries are trying to carve out their own opportunities.

Slowly Expanding, Non-Alc Beer Category is Structurally Sound but Top-Heavy

https://www.sightlines.news/analysis/non-alc-beer-category-is-structurally-sound-but-top-heavy

Why a New Non-Alc Beer Bets it all on a Single SKU

https://www.sightlines.news/analysis/why-a-new-non-alc-beer-bets-it-all-on-a-single-sku

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Giving context to top news from across alcohol through the reporting and research we've conducted at Sightlines:

1. Hemp-derived products have become one of the fastest-growing segments in beverage. Distributors now have a green light to pursue a segment with broad consumer interest and big margins.

Format, Familiarity Push Delta-8 Drinks to Top of Growth Chart

https://www.sightlines.news/analysis/format-familiarity-push-delta-8-drinks-to-top-of-growth-chart 

Breweries Cash In on Delta-9 Drinks With More Opportunity on the Way

https://www.sightlines.news/analysis/breweries-cash-in-on-delta-9-drinks 

2. Companies continue to wrestle with how to connect with young drinkers, but years of Sightlines insights are now becoming part of everyday conversations among bev-alc leaders. It's about paying attention to what consumers are showing and telling you.

How to Build a Flavor-Focused Brand

https://www.sightlines.news/analysis/how-to-build-a-flavor-focused-brand 

Vodka Dominates Canned Cocktails As Cost Effective Flavor Base

https://www.sightlines.news/analysis/vodka-dominates-canned-cocktails-as-cost-effective-flavor-base 

Young Drinkers Consume More, Most Interested in Price, Flavor, ABV

https://www.sightlines.news/analysis/young-drinkers-consume-more-most-interested-in-price-flavor-abv 

3. Wine has been in a rough spot for years. This October, industry leaders are launching the first collective marketing campaign in a decade. Can it work? Or do they need to look for lessons from consumers just like everyone else?

Alcohol’s Growth Increasingly Comes from New Wave Drinks Built Across Category Lines

https://www.sightlines.news/analysis/alcohols-growth-increasingly-comes-from-new-wave-drinks-built-across-category-lines 

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Giving context to top news from across alcohol through the reporting and research we've conducted at Sightlines:

The Binge Watch

High-volume drinking happens earlier in the day—a trend that tracks with other behavioral changes of American drinkers.

Binge Drinking Shifts to Daytime Occasions for On-Premise

https://www.sightlines.news/analysis/binge-drinking-shifts-to-daytime-occasions-for-on-premise

It's Easier Being Green (and Drinking a Beer)

Cannabis and hemp-derived products are more readily available than ever, but what if a concern about consumption rates against alcohol should actually be about budgeting?

How Cannabis Use Could Impact On-Premise Drink Purchases

https://www.sightlines.news/analysis/how-cannabis-use-could-impact-on-premise-drink-purchases

No More Empty Nests

The latest annual report from the National Association of Realtors shows a record-high of Americans buying homes for multiple generations. This will impact how people spend their money and discover new products.

Key Alcohol Consumers Increasingly Live in Multigenerational Homes

https://www.sightlines.news/analysis/key-alcohol-consumers-increasingly-live-in-multigenerational-homes

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Giving context to top news from across alcohol through the reporting and research we've conducted at Sightlines:

Tariffs on the table
With president-elect Donald Trump talking up taxes on goods from foreign countries, understand what’s actually at stake and how consumers might react.

In Spirits, Branding Beats Budget Worries

https://www.sightlines.news/analysis/in-spirits-branding-beats-budget-worries

From Russia without love
Stoli's U.S. subsidiaries have filed for bankruptcy, but it’s not because of a flattening vodka market. Sift through the noise to understand what’s happened.

Vodka Dominates Canned Cocktails As Cost Effective Flavor Base

https://www.sightlines.news/analysis/vodka-dominates-canned-cocktails-as-cost-effective-flavor-base

The 2024 stories you may have missed
Bryan and Kate highlight two areas of alcohol they think not enough people are paying attention to and are worth consideration for what’s coming in 2025.

How Consumers Consider Alcohol Categories is More Blurred Than You May Think

https://www.sightlines.news/analysis/consumer-habits-show-how-they-consider-categories-and-choice

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Beverages on the intoxicating end of the functional spectrum have never been more varied - and neither have the experiences and relavitve cognitive dissonance of attending their major industry conferences. The narratives around what does and doesnt’ connect with consumers, and what’s driving growth is often over simplified, biased toward regulation and politics, and more often than not, shockingly out of touch with how it all transaltes, or doesn’t to the end consumer’s experience. 

Every beverage category exists in a bubble of sorts - but that doens’t have to be the case. At Sightlines.news, we work hard to show insights that hold true across categories, driven by consumer data and insights, and help our subscribers find their way through the narratives and noise. 

Now depending on the conference you’re at, your mileage may vary. But increasingly we’re seeing more conversations that are cross-category where producers and value chain partners are informing each other, and learning from a broader set of perspectives. 

Today, me and Sightlines Kate Bernot download about recent expriences at the craft brewers confernce and various guilds, as well as the ebev confernece in Indianapolis about some of the topics we’re overheading, and in some case leading the coveration on. 

Giving context to top news from across alcohol through the reporting and research we've conducted at Sightlines:

Constellation Brands Off-Loads its Wine Portfolio

The country’s third-largest wine supplier is reportedly exiting the category all together. Why and why now? Wine has been in a hard spot for some time.

• From Sightlines: History Doesn’t Cut It — Wine Needs to Speak Differently to Connect with Young Drinkers

On-Again, Off-Again Tariffs Spook Companies and Consumers

The threat of higher prices and unstable consumer demand means producers, distributors, and retailers need to understand how to act now to build in resilience to Trump administration policies.

• From Sightlines: Women are Increasingly Prepared to Treat Themselves as Alcohol Consumers

The Future is Flavored

Building on years of launches at Expo West, more products than ever look to disrupt traditional categories by focusing on value-adds like protein or flavor-blasting their way into attention.

• From Sightlines: The Pursuit of Intentional Indulgence Encourages Young Americans to Spend

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Giving context to top news from across alcohol through the reporting and research we've conducted at Sightlines:

The Geographical Shifts in Hemp-Derived THC Consumers

As the hemp-derived industry continues to grow, Sightlines offers new insights on regional differences of who’s buying and the perspectives that shape consumer views and experiences with THC.

The Surprising Regionality of Hemp-Derived THC Demand

https://www.sightlines.news/analysis/regional-differences-among-hemp-derived-thc-customers-impact-brand-positioning-strategy

How Consumers Think About THC Drinks

https://www.sightlines.news/analysis/consumer-voices-illuminate-where-thc-beverages-are-heading

Pricing Impacts Spirits Sales

By reviewing figures from the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, the Sightlines team offers context of what’s happening with premiumization and what categories continue to find success by focusing on consumer desires like flavor.

As Drinkers Cross Categories, Spirits Still Win

https://www.sightlines.news/analysis/drinkers-cross-categories-spirits-still-win

Will Non-Alcoholic Beer Hit a SKU Ceiling?

The number of non-alc beer brands has doubled in the last three years, but shelf space and pricing pose potential road blocks to its next phase of growth.

Slowly Expanding, Non-Alc Beer Category is Structurally Sound but Top-Heavy

https://www.sightlines.news/analysis/non-alc-beer-category-is-structurally-sound-but-top-heavy

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Giving context to top news from across alcohol through the reporting and research we've conducted at Sightlines:

Wine is getting crushed

Silicon Valley Bank’s annual wine industry report tells a bleak story in coming years for the category. But that doesn’t mean wine is a lost cause.

Wine Needs to Speak Differently to Connect with Young Drinkers

https://www.sightlines.news/analysis/wine-needs-to-speak-differently-to-connect-with-young-drinkers

Flavor-Focused Wine Connects to Consumer Desires in Ways the Wine Category Can’t

https://www.sightlines.news/analysis/flavor-focused-wine-connects-to-consumer-desires-in-ways-the-wine-category-cant 

Don’t bet on gambling being alcohol’s biggest villain

Academic research and news reports highlight how an increase in legalized online gambling can impact budgets, but suggesting this is the culprit for lagging alcohol sales distorts reality of who’s drinking and how Americans spend.

Gambling Impacts Alcohol’s Declining Consumer, Not Category’s Future 

https://www.sightlines.news/analysis/gambling-impacts-alcohols-declining-consumer-not-categorys-future 

Forecasting beer trends in 2025 is wishful thinking

January brought with it lots of op-eds and lists suggesting a variety of top trends that will shape the beer industry in 2025. Many miss the mark.

Nutty Flavor Helps One Midwest Brewery Crack the Flavor Code

https://www.sightlines.news/analysis/a-nutty-flavor-helps-one-midwest-brewery-crack-the-flavor-code

A Craft Beer That Wins on Brand and No-Frills Fun

https://www.sightlines.news/analysis/a-craft-beer-that-wins-on-brand-and-no-frills-fun

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