Bud Light Officially Dethroned

It loses its top spot as America's biggest-selling beer
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 14, 2023 2:31 AM CDT
Updated Jun 14, 2023 6:51 AM CDT
Bud Light Officially Dethroned
FILE - Cans of Bud Light beer are seen before a baseball game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Seattle Mariners on April 25, 2023, in Philadelphia.   (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)

In what the Wall Street Journal paints as ongoing fallout from its Dylan Mulvaney controversy, Bud Light has been officially pushed out of the American beer market's top spot. Formerly the country's top-selling beer, Bud Light is now down to No. 2, with Modelo Especial replacing it in the No. 1 spot. Bud Light's sales have been falling since April, when the transgender influencer was featured on a promo can, and in May, it represented just 7.3% of US retail-store beer sales compared to 8.4% for Modelo. Other Anheuser-Busch beers have also seen sales decline, but the New York Post reports that some of those appear to be starting to recover, unlike Bud Light. Bud Light does still hold the US' top-selling spot for the year to date, but some distributors worry its April-May drop out of the No. 1 position may be permanent.

Some Anheuser-Busch distributors are even considering layoffs, per the Journal, which explains that most such distributors are independently-owned, many by families who have long sold Bud products. "Our year is screwed," says one distributor. Distributors who also carry Constellation Brands, which sells Modelo in the US, have seen some of their losses offset by Modelo's increased sales. (More Bud Light stories.)

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