Modelo Especial has officially become the best-selling beer in America, surpassing Bud Light in popularity. This shift in rankings comes after Bud Light faced a decline in popularity following the Dylan Mulvaney controversy. According to data from NIQ, sales of Modelo have consistently exceeded those of Bud Light throughout 2023, marking the first time Modelo has overtaken Bud Light on a year-to-date basis. Modelo currently holds an 8.34% share of dollars spent on beer, slightly edging out Bud Light’s 8.28% share as of August 12.
This transition to the top is a significant milestone for Modelo, as Bud Light has held the position of America’s top-selling beer for the majority of the past two decades. Modelo’s success during the summer months has been particularly notable, as it surpassed Bud Light in monthly sales for May, June, and July. During this period, Modelo maintained a 9.1% market share, while Bud Light slipped to a 7% share of off-premise beer sales. Benj Steinman, the president of Beer Marketer’s Insights, stated that Modelo’s rise to the top had been anticipated for several months but happened much faster than expected due to Bud Light’s declining trends starting in April.
It’s worth noting that Bud Light has shown some signs of improvement recently, with a smaller decline in volumes compared to previous months. Although Bud Light’s volumes were down 26.7%, this is a slight improvement from the approximately -30% decline the brand had been experiencing since spring. This improvement provides hope for Bud Light’s future, especially if the trend continues to improve in subsequent weeks. However, Modelo’s distributor Constellation Brands remains optimistic about their beer’s success and aims to expand its dominance among Hispanic drinkers to a wider demographic.
