2017 draft beer analytics: Lagunitas had the most popular IPA, Busch Light grew 500%, Sam Adams had top two wheats and lots more

BeerBoard monitors over 50,000 draft lines and 35,000 products through its Integrated Beer Management and Guest Display System. Sometimes it releases some of that juicy draft data to the public. Sometimes we’ll run those reports because we find them interesting and insightful. They just announced a data pour that summarizes some of the most interesting 2017 draft beer trends. Enjoy it below (or right here)!

In BeerBoard’s 2017 Beer Review, the company looks back at the performance of styles and brands through the course of the year. BeerBoard works with thousands of client locations, monitoring over 50,000 draft lines on a constant basis. This generates incredible amounts of data and gives great insight to style and brand trends within the beer industry.

Any associated beer data is based on pour volumes generated from BeerBoard clients. Based on its ability to monitor and capture actual pour volumes through our technology, the 2017 Beer Review should provide great insight on what’s trending and assist operators with ordering, inventory and merchandising.

Movement in share

Domestics continue to stand strong as the category leader, but have now dipped below 50 percent share for the first time in … well … for the first time we can calculate. Currently at 49.59 percent, Domestics saw a two-point slide which moved directly over to Craft (35.90 percent, up from 33.97 percent). Imports checked in at 14.51 percent.

Tap distribution

Domestics grab that dominant 49.59 percent share with just 17.2 percent of taphandle distribution. Meanwhile, Craft currently takes up 66.1 percent of the tap real estate to generate its share of 35.90 percent Imports are more inline, needing 16.6 percent of taps to produce its 14.51 percent share.

More, more, more

As we all know, the number of breweries and the brands they produce continues to skyrocket. In 2017, BeerBoard tracked 1,970 different IPAs poured – up from 1,469 in 2016 (+34%) – the clear style leader in terms of number of brands poured. Stouts came in second at 921 (up from 796 in 2016), while Fruit/Hybrid checked in at 855 (up from 782 in 2016).

What was trending:

The top five styles remain unchanged from 2016 through 2017: #1 Light Lager, #2 Lager, #3 IPA, #4 Belgian Wit/White Ale, #5 Euro Lagers. When breaking down the styles, some interesting trends were revealed:

• Continuing its strong performance year-over-year, IPAs grew 15.5 percent in 2017. The popular style was up to 8.85 percent from 7.66 percent in 2016 (+1.19 percent).
• Wheat/Hefeweizen came in at #6, up from #8 in 2016. It grew 27.6 percent in the year and claimed a 3.19 percent share.
• Pale Ale also made a solid jump, climbing 17 percent to come in at #10 overall (up from #11 in 2016)
• On the flip side, Amber/Red Ale saw a significant drop in 2017, down 47.8 percent, falling from #10 in 2016 to #14 in 2017.
• Ciders also a decline in 2017, down 14.8 percent and falling from #7 to #9 as a style.

Light Lager

Light Lager remains cemented as the #1 style overall, grabbing 42.95 percent of the pour share. Overall, it was down 2.1 percent from 2016.

• The top three brands within the style remain unchanged with #1 Bud Light, #2 Miller Lite and #3 Coors Light. Each brand did see a slight decrease in share percentage in 2017 though — Bud Light was down 4 percent, Miller Lite -2.6 percent and Coors Light -9.3 percent.
• Michelob Ultra, checking in at #4 within the style, grew a healthy 16.7 percent in the year and inched ever closer to Coors Light at #3.
• Corona Light moved up one spot to #5 in 2017, growing 44.8 percent.
• Busch Light was largest mover in the category, climbing from #12 to #7 and growing 500 percent for the year.

Lager

Lager continues to hold the second spot on the style list, claiming 18.19 percent share. Its 2017 numbers are down slightly (-3.14 percent) from 2016.

• Dos Equis Especial and Budweiser remain #1 and #2, respectively, within the style. Both saw a slight dip in performance though, with Dos Equis down 5.6 percent and Budweiser off 6.4 percent.
• Modelo Especial moved up from #4 to #3 in 2017, +37.6 percent over its 2016 numbers.
• Pabst Blue Ribbon also saw a big jump (+22.1 percent) and moved up to #5 from #7.
• Among the top 50 beers within the category, Blue Point Toasted was the biggest mover. It was +112.5 percent overall, moving to #11 from #19.

IPA

The dominant style in craft and #3 overall, IPA continued its climb in 2017. While its meteoric growth has slowed a bit, the style was still +15.5 percent for the year and continues to chip away at Light Lager and Lager in the positions ahead of it.

• Lagunitas moved into the pole position (up from #2 in 2016) off a slight increase of 7.9 percent.
• Bells Two Hearted was bumped down to #2 within the style, even with a modest 1.3 percent increase over 2016.
• Founders All Day increased a healthy 57.9 percent and moved up from #8 to #5 for the year.
• On the strength of an 800 percent increase, Elysian Space Dust was the biggest climber within the style, moving to #13 all the way from #90.

Wheat/Hefeweizen

The style overall made a big jump in 2017, climbing 27.6 percent over its 2016 performance. Wheat/Hefeweizen moved up two slots to settle in as the #6 style overall (from #8 in 2016).

• Samuel Adams claimed the #1 and #2 positions within the style.
• Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat (#1) moved the needle to the tune of a 4,200 percent increase, climbing from #51 in 2016.
• Samuel Adams Summer Ale, #1 in 2016, fell to #2 even though it saw a slight bump (+5 percent)
• Boulevard Unfiltered Wheat saw a 450 percent increase in 2017 and moved from #16 to #9 within Wheat/Hefeweizen.