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The good times kept rollin' in Jan scans following a 7-8% pop in the latest wk, boosted in large part by folks stocking up for wide-ranging winter storms. That puts beer $$ up 3.6% with volume up 2.1% for 4 wks thru Jan 25 in Circana multi-outlet + convenience data. But this ain't just stock-up syndrome. Beer posted positive $$ growth in 4 of the last 5 wks, and Jan 2026 is on track to be beer's best monthly trend in years, at least in these channels. Including wine & spirit RTDs in the mix brightens the picture even more; broader beer + RTD category $$ grew more than 5% with wine & spirit RTDs adding close to 2 full pts in scans. "Were 2025 comps so bad some of the growth comps should have been anticipated?" asked Circana bev alc veep Scott Scanlon. Did CA wildfires and ice storms in many southern states early last yr "suppress sales" and "impact" trends? "YES to all those questions," he emphasized, but "we also did not see as much retracement post New Years that one typically observes." Unclear if the more recent snow storms and cold spells will "suppress" sales in upcoming wks, or if there may be "more stock up prior to the storm keeping the data in positive growth," he noted. But Scott's note accentuated the positive, pointing to upcoming Super Bowl week as another boon for both beer and RTDs.29 of Top 50 Beer Brand Fams Grew for 4 Wks Including 7 of Top 10 Much of the early-year growth is coming from the top brand fams and this is the first time in a while we can say that the majority (29) of top 50 beer fams are growing $$. That includes 7 of the top 10 growing, posting some of the largest gains across the industry. Michelob fam grew most by far, up low double digits for 4-wk period thru Jan 25. Modelo and White Claw fams were #2 and #3, up mid singles and high singles, respectively. Busch fam still growing mid to high singles and Natty fam returned to growth for the first time in a while (tho still lost a bit of share). And both MC's Coors fam (+3%) and STZ's Corona fam (+4%) flipped the script to start the yr. Bud fam (-2%), Miller Lite (flattish) and Twisted Tea (-2%) were the top 10 fams that dipped.Among other standout growth, Pacifico, Smirnoff Ice, New Belgium and Cayman Jack each posted top 10 $$ gains for period. Pacifico grew fastest of any top 50 beer fam, up more than 30%. And Victoria, Topo Chico Hard, Cayman Jack, Goose Island, Clubtails, Michelob, Angry Orchard, Elysian, Smirnoff Ice and Guinness all grew double digits.Top Wine & Spirit RTDs Still Red Hot Nearly every top wine & spirits RTD brand fam remained red hot for 4 wks thru Jan 25 in MULC with all up double digits or better except Rancho La Gloria, down low singles. BuzzBallz $$ sales were up more than 60%, bigger than New Belgium, the #12 beer brand fam by $$. Coming off tuffer trends in 2025, High Noon grew mid teens for last 4 wks with $$ sales sandwiched between Miller High Life and Keystone fams. BeatBox wine-based cocktails (excluding malt) were bigger than Dos Equis XX and Sierra Nevada fam (excluding NAs) by $$ in these channels, still up 30% for 4 wks before completing deal with AB. Cutwater more than doubled sales for 4 wks with $$ nearly as big as Stella fam (ex NAs).Then too, Surfside is still more than tripling sales and Sun Cruiser's more than quintupling sales in scans to start the year. Surfside is the clear-cut 4th largest wine & spirits RTD brand and Sun Cruiser posted fastest growth trend of any top 50 beer, wine or spirits brand fam in these channels. But both NUTRL and Monaco $$ were slightly ahead of Sun Cruiser thru first 4 wks, each up nearly 30% for period. On the Rocks, Big Sipz, Carbliss and Long Drink all maintained double-digit growth paces to varying degrees. Rancho La Gloria was the only top RTD to dip, but trend improved to down just low singles, and that's excluding new high-ABV malt versions rolling out.

Let The Good Times Roll; $$ Sales Up 3.6%, Vol +2.1% for 4 Wks Thru Jan 25 in MULC; Could Stock-Up Boost Last?

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