Beer’s Diminished Dominance Sparks Rise of Drink Alternatives

The drinking scene in America is changing. Beer used to be a more dominant drink favorite. But it’s losing its top spot. Instead, people are now trying out different types of alcoholic drinks.

Roughly 62% of Americans consume alcohol, whether that means beer, wine, or spirits, as revealed by a recent Gallup survey. The analytics database polled 1,015 adults from all 50 states and Washington, D.C., to determine people’s drinking habits and preferences. Regarding preferences, the site inquired about the choice of alcoholic beverage. Beer remained the top pick, with 37% of surveyors saying it's their most frequent choice, followed by liquor at 31% and wine at 29%. They also found that men were more inclined towards beer (53% compared to 22% of women), while women favored wine more than men (44% compared to 15%).

The youngest age group (18 to 34) reported higher consumption of beer and liquor compared to the other two age brackets, which leaned more towards wine.

Since 1992, Gallup has been asking drinkers about their preferred alcoholic beverages. Beer has usually been more popular than liquor and wine, except for five instances. Currently, 37% prefer beer, 31% prefer liquor, and 29% prefer wine.

Beer is still the top choice, but it's not as dominant as it was in the 1990s and early 2000s when nearly half preferred it. Between 2011 and 2013, wine briefly became as popular as beer.

Liquor has usually been less popular than beer and wine, with about 20% preferring it from 1992 to 2018. Recently, about 30% say they prefer liquor, putting it up there with wine. The current 31% of liquor enthusiasts is the highest ever recorded.

Among the respondents who admitted to drinking alcohol, the majority (69%) affirmed having consumed at least one alcoholic drink within the past week. Of these, 32% reported having a drink in the last 24 hours, while 37% said their most recent alcoholic beverage was consumed within the last two to seven days. On average, U.S. drinkers reported consuming four drinks within the past week, according to their findings.

Respondents abstaining from alcohol were asked about their reasons for doing so. The leading response, at 24%, was a lack of desire or willingness. Other common explanations included dislike of alcoholic beverages, concerns about health implications or existing health conditions, fear of consequences based on past experiences, or religious beliefs.

Check out the full study here.

Since Memorial Day I have been fortunate enough to attend a wedding, beachside barbeques, and neighborhood get-togethers. Though food options varied, I did notice hard seltzers were a common beverage. There were multiple brands, so I decided to rank the ones that I tried.

Bon & Viv Spiked Seltzer can be credited as the first official can to hit the shelves in 2013. Or you can go back to Zima as being a pioneer in this carbonated alcohol space. Nowadays, it seems like every brand has their own variation of spiked seltzer. With limited creativity in terms of flavor options (most people would prefer a simple pineapple flavor to a green apple, cherry, celery mashup any time), now certain beverage companies are swapping out the vodka mix for tequila. Furthermore, funny commercials and vibrant cans allow different marketing angles on seemingly similar drinks.

Speaking of marketing, a thinner can is often associated with containing a lower-calorie drink. A CNN  op-ed speculates that most hard seltzers are displayed in these taller, skinny cans to distinguish themselves in a crowded liquor store.

In creating this ranking of the best hard seltzers, there were certain criteria that I considered to be most important. Taste is a broad category. It was imperative here that the drink was smooth, did not contain a syrupy aftertaste and actually tasked like the flavor it suggests. Then, I looked at the overall "nutrition" facts. Finally, I'd ask myself a question: "Would I drink another one, or would I buy a case of this repeatedly?"

It's important to note that I disqualified top beer brands. While I applaud their efforts for the attempt at entering the hip space, I have yet to find one where their best product was not actually their beer. Lastly, I am not a big fruit juice person. Nor do I typically like citrus mixed with alcohol. In this case, however, there are four hard seltzers where I find the fruit flavor enjoyable. My top choice here is now a brand that I do keep stocked in my cooler.

What I liked most about Truly is that they are accessible. Many festivals, concerts and sporting events carry Truly. So there is consistency. They seem to stay in their lane and always deliver on their flavors the distribute at mass-events, as opposed to trying to reinvent their options. There are 100 calories in a Truly and it's 5% alcohol by volume. Selected flavor: Wild Berry.

This is my favorite can of the bunch, but looks aren't everything. Wild Basin certainly knows who they are visually, as their logo perfectly encapsulates the outdoor and chill vibe of hard seltzer. What holds them back is that they are not always easy to find in New England. Various liquor stores carry them, but not a ton of restaurants do. There are 100 calories in a Truly and it's 5% alcohol by volume. Selected flavor: Lime Coconut (there's good reason why this is part of their "paradise" mix pack.

This is my hard seltzer OG. Fun fact: when I google "White Claw" a sponsored Truly option is the first result to pop up. I love a little friendly seltzer competition. In full disclosure, I am a surfer and White Claw has done a tremendous job inserting their brand into that community. Their tagline of "those who bring the wave," has worked well. They say they are "inspired by the power, purity and potential of ocean waves," and so am I. This is a simple explanation that centers around the fact that when I drink a White Claw I always enjoy it. There are 100 calories in a Truly and it's 5% alcohol by volume. Selected flavor: Black Cherry.

There's no complicated answer here. It has the best taste, is refreshing, and the brand I select when given the option. I like how you feel like carbonation base as opposed to fruit flavor completely taking over. That's when I get suspicious of artificial additives. High Noon seems to have mastered the recipe of a natural fruit juice percentage to alcohol. Their new tequila seltzers are consistently enjoyable as well. There's a slight dip in alcohol volume at 4.5%, but it too has 100 calories. Selected flavor: Watermelon.