America’s best-selling beer, Bud Light, loses the title

The most popular beer in America is no longer American.

In May, Constellation Brands’ Modelo Especial, a Mexican lager made near Mexico City, overtook Bud Light from its position as the most popular beer, which it had held for more than two decades. The tumble from the top additionally featured how much difficulty the Anheuser-Busch brand is in following transsexual powerhouse Dylan Mulvaney’s Instagram post flaunting a redid Bud Light can.

According to NIQ data provided to consulting firm Bump Williams, Modelo took 8.4% of retail beer sales in the United States for the four weeks that ended on June 3, while Bud Light came in second with 7.3%. Bud Light’s dollar sales declined by 24.4% during that time, while Modelo’s increased by 12.2%.

Additionally, the company stated, the trend does not appear to be in Bud’s favor.

Williams stated to CNN, “Modelo Especial appears to be increasing its sales growth each week as we get deeper into summer.” He went on to say that the brand’s new low-carb beer, Modelo Oro, is selling well and has been since its May debut.

Mexican beers and spirits like tequila and mezcal have become increasingly popular among drinkers in recent years. Williams stated that strong retailer support, great advertising, eye-catching packaging, and a “springboard effect” from Cinco de Mayo into the summer all contributed to Modelo becoming the top-selling beer (at least for May).

Modelo has been “enjoying an incredible run of success” for the past few years, according to report, the company wants to replicate its dominance over Hispanic drinkers across a wider demographic. We’re growing by keeping that core of customers while also attracting non-Hispanic customers, and we’re doing so with incredible success.

The fact that American-made Bud Light has remained the top-selling beer throughout the year is Anheuser-Busch (BUD), whose parent company is based in Belgium. In addition, compared to previous weeks, sales of other beers in its family, such as Michelob Ultra, Natural Light, and Busch Light, decreased during the same time period.

Bud Light’s sales have decreased by around 25% per week over the past few weeks, likely as a result of negative headlines from right-wing media about its partnership with Mulvaney and the brand’s lackluster response to the controversy that enraged LGBTQ+ advocates. A single can with her face on it was provided for a social media post, but the brand was attacked by prominent conservative figures and transphobic comments were posted on social media.