As the U.S. reopens, beer distributors have been restocking, something brought into dramatic relief by the National Beer Wholesalers Association‘s Beer Purchasers Index, which stands at 79, more than twice April 2020’s all-time low of 54.
Looking across the segments for April:
- The index for imports continued into expansion territory for a reading of 74 in April 2021, well above the 32 reading from April 2020.
- The craft index posted a reading of 64 for April 2021, compared to a dismal reading of 14 in April 2020.
- The premium lights segment posted a reading of 69 following a reading of 44 from April 2020.
- Regular domestic beer segment’s index of 56 is also significantly above April 2020’s reading of 40.
- The below premium segment reading is at 51, only a few points higher than the April 2020 reading of 47.
- The FMB/seltzer segment continued to outperform all other segments in April 2021 with a reading of 90, compared to 72 from April 2020.
- The cider segment remains below 50, posting an index reading of 44 compared to last April’s reading of 17.
“This month’s survey cycles the April 2020 survey, the month when widespread quarantines brought the on-premise beer business to a standstill,” said Lester Jones, NBWA chief economist. “The April 2021 reading shows significant recovery from last year, but relative to April readings going back to 2015, the current index appears to fall in line with the industry’s long-running measures.”