Americans drank 2 billion fewer beers last year – the lowest since 1999 – and the boycott of Bud Light over its collaboration with Dylan Mulvaney is to blame (plus Gen Zers ditching alcohol entirely!)

Beer sales have lost their vibrancy – due to the boycott of Bud Light due to its campaign with a transgender influencer and changing drinking habits as the culprit.

U.S. sales fell 5 percent during the first nine months of last year — and are on track for the lowest annual level since 1999, according to industry group Beer Marketer's Insights.

In real terms, that means shipments were on track to fall below 200 million barrels — about 9 million fewer than in 2021. That's about two billion fewer beers consumed by Americans.

A boycott of Bud Light due to its ties to transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney is a major reason. Sales of the once leading brand are down nearly 30 percent, and beer drinkers switching to other lagers have not made up for the dramatic drop.

But changing consumer habits are also putting pressure on sales figures, as younger Americans in particular are increasingly turning away from alcoholic beverages.

The boycott of Bud Light caused sales to decline and Modelo Especial became the number one beer brand in America.

The firestorm, which began in April 2023, caused Bud Light's parent company Anheuser-Busch to lose $390 million in sales in the second quarter compared to the previous year.

And by December, sales of the beer had still not recovered, despite the company partnering with NFL stars in a marketing campaign in an effort to boost sales.

In the four weeks ended Dec. 9, Bud Light retail sales fell 28 percent compared to the same period in 2022, according to NielsenIQ data analyzed by consulting firm Bump Williams and cited by The Wall Street Journal.

Mexican import beer Modelo Especial overtook Bud Light last year as the top-selling U.S. beer by retail dollar sales, although Bud Light remains the top-selling beer by volume.

The expected sales of less than 200 million barrels of beer for this year are much lower than in recent years.

According to figures, the US beer industry shipped 208.6 million barrels in 2021 facts of the National Association of Beer Wholesalers. A traditional barrel in a bar is equal to half a barrel.

Craig Purser, president of the National Beer Wholesalers Association, said in a speech to wholesalers in October: “This is an industry-wide, five-alarm fire.”

In addition to the Bud Light boycott, there are two other reasons behind the slump. Younger Americans drink less, while those who do prefer so-called “hard seltzers.”

Bud Light saw sales plummet last year after a boycott following a collaboration with influencer Dylan Mulvaney

The hard seltzer market has also exploded in recent years, challenging beer's popularity

A study last year by data company MRI-Simmons found that Generation Z had the lowest alcohol consumption of any adult age group in the US.

About 58 percent of respondents of legal drinking age said they had consumed alcohol in the past six months.

According to NielsenIQ, sales of non-alcoholic beer are up 32 percent compared to October last year.

Rising health and wellbeing concerns have fueled the spike in non-alcoholic beers, with younger drinkers more likely to opt for a zero-percent drink, researchers say.

And among drinkers, hard seltzers are becoming increasingly popular — alongside relative newcomers like canned cocktails and malt drinks like Boston Beer's twisted tea.

According to Statista, revenue from the U.S. hard seltzer market is expected to reach $37.7 billion by 2024.

White Claw and Truly hard seltzers dominate the space, but other spirits-based seltzers, including High Noon, have “collectively grown strong double digits and gained shelf space and occasions from beer,” David Steinman, vice president of Beer Marketer's Insights, told me . Fox 10.