Coors Light has officially over taken Budweiser as #2 in America. This is the first time in almost 2 years that Anheuser-Busch hasn’t been in control of the top 2 spots.
Budweiser’s shipments fell 4.6% last year as opposed to Coors Light’s rise of just 1%. Interestingly, Budweiser shipments have dropped 60% since 1988. Coors Light shipped 18.2 million barrels last year and Budweiser shipped 17.7 million.
Each brewery seems to be attempting to innovate to gain market share. Bud just launched the Draftmark Home Draft System,and is in the process of launching Bud Light Platinum as you read this. This January you’ll see Budweiser’s new reality program, “The Big Time” on top of Major League Baseball team branded cans this spring. Bowtie Cans launched last year also. Coors launched cold activated bottles & cans last year – when the mountains turn blue, your beer is as cold as The Rockies.
In contrast, craft brewer Sam Adams has seen sales surges as high as 30%. [Adage]
