Among the familiar pings and dings that accompany working from home during lockdown, new data suggests that the noise of cracking open a beer is increasingly joining the pandemic soundscape.
Top line
Nearly one in five U.S. adults aged 21+ who drink alcohol say they now consume it at times they typically wouldn’t throughout the pandemic, according to research firm GWI.
Between the lines
Before lockdown measures became widespread, Americans began buying more beer, spirits and wine in early March 2020.
“As consumers [planned] their household needs and purchasing.. they [were increasingly] stocking up on alcoholic beverages,” said Danelle Kosmal, vp of beverage alcohol at Nielsen, at the time.
Since then, the alcohol industry has split into winners (retail and delivery) and losers (bars and restaurants), driven by changes in government rules and consumer behavior. Throughout the Covid-19 crisis, 27% of U.S. adults who drink said they’ve consumed more alcohol than normal, while around a quarter have tried new brands and types of alcohol. A fraction of these consumers have purchased more alcohol via a delivery service (14%) and bought it from a local bar or restaurant to take home (12%).
Bottom line
Additional figures from GWI show members of Gen Z are more likely to drink flavored malt beverages—a category that includes hard seltzer—than any other older generation. During the fourth quarter of last year, 23% of Gen Z said they drink flavored malt beverages, compared to 19% of Millennials, 14% of Gen X and 4% of Baby Boomers.
Last year, off-premise sales of hard seltzer spiked 160% compared to 2019, according to Nielsen. Beer, meanwhile, increased 9%.
