by MELISSA DOWLING

We polled our beverage alcohol retailers , bar and restaurant operators and other industry professionals to find out . They weighed in on the beer brands and companies that sold the best for them this past year .

Tying for the top-selling beer are Modelo Especial and Michelob ULTRA . Modelo , a Mexican pilsner-style brew from Constellation Brands , had taken the top spot from Bud Light in 2023 after Bud Light took a serious hit following a consumer boycott .

It ’ s no surprise that Modelo Especial is a top sales driver : The brand was cited by our respondents for Best Advertising & Promotion . Modelo also tapped into cocktail culture this past summer by teaming up with Dos Hombres mezcal to introduce the Mezcal Michelada .

Michelob Ultra , a low-calorie , low-carb brew from Anheuser-Busch InBev , this past July became the second highest-selling beer by dollar sales , according to Beer Marketer ' s Insights , pushing Bud Light to third in its ranking . ( Bud Light did not even factor into the top sales drivers among our survey respondents this year .)

As the exclusive beer sponsor of Team USA for the Olympics , Michelob Ultra unveiled special packaging that featured the Team USA logo , including an American flag and the Olympic rings on the neck . Michelob ULTRA was also the Official Global Beer Sponsor of CONMEBOL Copa América USA 2024 .

OLD AND NEWER

Top sales driver Yuengling — the oldest independent brewery in America — celebrated 195 years in 2024 . Pottsville , PA-based Yuengling , which has been expanding and pushing into the West , is currently available in 26 states . To commemorate its 195th anniversary , D . G . Yuengling & Son brought back a late-winter and spring favorite , Yuengling Bock . The malty beer first launched in 2008 as a draft-only seasonal offering — the first time a Bock beer was produced by Yuengling in nearly 40 years . It returned in draft and package in 2009 , in conjunction with Yuengling ' s 180th Anniversary , and then was retired in 2014 until it came back as a limited release this year .

White Claw Hard Seltzer from Mark Anthony Brands is a perennial Beers Growth Brands winner . The leading hard seltzer in the U . S ., launched in 2019 , is now available in 18 international markets .

TOP SALES DRIVERS

BRAND Michelob Ultra Modelo Especial Dos Equis Heineken 0.0 White Claw Hard Seltzer Blue Moon Coors Light Yuengling Traditional Lager

To commemorate its 195th anniversary , Yuengling brought back a German-style Bock beer as a late-winter / spring limited-time seasonal .

SUPPLIER Anheuser-Busch Constellation Brands Heineken Heineken Mark Anthony Brands Molson Coors Molson Coors Yuengling

SUPPLIER OF THE YEAR

Molson Coors www . beveragedynamics . com Fall 2024 • Beverage Dynamics 15