Beer Institute estimates domestic tax paid shipments in April were 14,106,000 barrels, down 2% from a year earlier. Year to date through April, shipments are down 0.4%. But Beer Institute noted that consumer spending on domestic beer rose 1.4%.
One reason April shipments may have been down: A general price increase.
Looking at the data, Michael Uhrich, chief economist, notes that flavored malt beverage shipments, including hard seltzers, are growing fast, and brewers continue to report distributors are building inventories of these products to satisfy demand in the summer.