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National Review
National Review
14 Jun 2023
Caroline Downey


NextImg:Bud Light Dethroned as Top-Selling Beer in U.S.: ‘Our Year Is Screwed’

Bud Light no longer holds the title as America’s most popular beer amid ongoing boycotts against the brand over its decision to wade into radical political waters by partnering with a transgender influencer.

Modelo Especial replaced Bud Light as the top-selling beer in May. Bud Light parent company Anheuser-Busch InBev owns Modelo in most international locations except the U.S., where it’s owned by the New York-based Constellation Brands.

Over the four weeks ending June 3, Modelo accounted for 8.4 percent of U.S. retail-store beer sales while Bud Light’s share slipped to 7.3 percent, according to data by beverage industry consulting firm Bump Williams, first reported by the Wall Street Journal.

 “Our year is screwed,” one Anheuser-Busch distributor who doesn’t carry Modelo told the Journal.

Bud Light has been struggling to preserve its preeminence among beer drinkers since it launched a minor creative collaboration with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, shocking its traditional blue-collar customer base. The Instagram video, featuring Mulvaney surrounded by the blue cans in a bathtub, triggered massive backlash, causing sales to plummet and the financial firm HSBC to downgrade Anheuser-Busch stock.

In April, Bud Light sales declined by 21.4 percent, while parent brand Budweiser lost 11.5 percent, to the benefit of competitor Coors Light, which gained a 10.9 percent sales boost for the month. Even gay bars in cities across the country have contributed to the Bud Light losses by removing Anheuser-Busch products from their shelves to protest the company’s response to the outcry over the Mulvaney partnership. They took issue with Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth’s clarifying statement after the fact, which conservative critics hardly considered an apology but LGBT activists believed conceded too much.

Some Anheuser-Busch distributors, many of which are independently owned, have warned that they’re headed for a tough financial spot.

Since 2013 Constellation Brands acquired the exclusive rights to import and market Modelo, the Mexican pilsner beer has been on the rise, ranked as America’s fastest growing beer brand in 2016, according to USA Today’s analysis of shipment volumes from Beer Marketer’s Insights.

While Anheuser-Busch has tried to save face, rolling out a patriotic ad after the debacle, it announced last month that it would donate $200,000 for a second year to support “LGBTQ+ business owners of color.”