E-Malt.com News article: USA, CO: Colorado beer sales decrease

Despite the strong growth in the last several years for Colorado craft brewers, overall beer sales are decreasing state wide, Northern Colorado Business Report stated on August, 8.

The amount of craft beer produced in the state last year jumped 9 percent, to 40 million gallons. The percentage of the overall sales volume made up of northern Colorado’s largest craft breweries has jumped from 15 percent in 2008 to 24 percent in 2012.

By contrast, in the last year, both Anheuser-Busch in Fort Collins and MillerCoors in Golden have seen flat or declining sales by volume.

The two brewing giants are responsible for most of the state’s production and they impact overall sales disproportionately.

Although sales by volume are down, revenues for Anheuser-Busch and MillerCoors are up in some cases. That’s because the companies are focusing on specialty brews, higher-quality products such as Budweiser Black Crown and Bud Light Platinum, that produce higher dollar amounts for lower volumes.

Data from the Colorado Department of Revenue’s 2012 annual report shows a decline in the taxable gallons of beer sold in the state from 2011 to 2012. More than 112 million gallons of beer were sold in Colorado in 2011, but last year that number declined by more than 1 million gallons.

The situation is different for the craft beer sales. There has been a 9 percent increase in the amount of craft beer produced in Colorado, from 36 million gallons in 2011 to more than 40 million gallons in 2012. Northern Colorado’s largest craft breweries' contribution to the total sales volume has jumped from 15 percent of state wide sales in 2008 to 24 percent in 2012."


09 August, 2013