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Early year optimism in craft might be feelin' like a distant memory, at least in tracked off-prem channels as $$ and vol losses steepened in latest 4 wks vs prev 4-wk period in Circana multi-outlet + convenience scans thru May 17. Craft's negative trends were double total beer for the latest 4 wks, where craft $$ dipped 4.6% (-0.24 share) with volume down 6.8% (-0.26 share). Total beer down 2% in $$ and 3.3% in vol. That leaves craft at 10 share of $$ and 6.8 share of vol not including NAs, which are tracked separately in Circana. Craft Up 2.7% in C-Stores, Down 3.4% in Foodstores It was yet another month where craft trends diverged in foodstores and c-stores: grocery $$ fell 3.4% YTD while c-stores were up 2.7%. Foodstore $$ fell 6.9% for 4 wks, accelerating decline from previous 4 wks, when they fell 5.1%. C-store trends were better but only up 0.6% over 4 wks compared to +2.7% in previous period. IPAs remained steady at over 70 share YTD at c-stores, where craft share rose 0.1 pts while falling 0.32 share at grocery, where its total share remains far larger over last 4 wks (17.6 vs 6.4).New Belgium Stays Winning; Lagunitas Little Sumpin Sumpin Remains Fastest-Growing Top 30 Craft Brand; Wicked Weed's Strong Yr Continues New Belgium continued its YTD dominance in scans, owning the top 3 $$ gainers in Voodoo Ranger Juice Force (up 11.5%), new 11%-ABV G Force Super Charged and Imperial IPA (up 6.9%). Those #s nearly exactly in line with 4-wk trends, offsetting sudden double-digit drop from Fruit Force and steeper decline from Tropic Force to drive Voodoo Ranger's high-ABV series up 11.5% for the yr. Other big gainers among the top 30 craft brands include Lagunitas' Little Sumpin Sumpin, up 21.7% in $$ sales over last 4 wks to remain the fastest-growing top craft brand. It was one of the few brands that accelerated in the latest period, boosted by some promo activity that drove natl avg price/case down 1.4%. Other double-digit gainers over last 4 wks were Georgetown Bodhizafa IPA (+17.6%), Elysian Space Dust (+$13.3%), New Belgium Juice Force (+11.2%) and Wicked Weed Pernicious IPA (+10.1%). The latter continues to drive another strong yr for Wicked Weed fam, up 14.3% in $$ sales YTD.Tuff Times for Blue Moon Headin' Into Summer, Down 10% Over 4 Wks Blue Moon family $$ and vol sales were down 10% over last 4 wks, driven by 11.7% $$ sales and 12.6% vol sales drop for flagship Belgian White. Total brand fam $$ down 4.2% YTD, with flagship down 7.4%. But there's some good news, as 8%-ABV Extra Belgian White up 15.1% in $$ sales over last 4 wks, cycling last yr's launch, still up 190% YTD.Kona Big Wave $$ Down 11% Over Last 4 Wks AB's Kona Big Wave $$ sales dropped 11% over last 4 wks in MULC after falling just 3% over previous 4-wk period. That could improve in next batch of scans as 12pks were marked down more than 40% in FL Walmarts since mid May for Memorial Day. Tho avg price/case already down slightly YTD. If Big Wave's runnin' out of steam, at least AB's got Goose, Elysian and Wicked Weed still hummin' in craftland. But AB craft portfolio slowed in the latest 4 wks.Athletic $$ Still 2d-Fastest Growing Top 25 Supplier, Up 18.7% Separately tracked Athletic keeps rollin' right along, with $$ sales up 18.7% over last 4 wks, again the 2d-fastest growth of any top 25 beer supplier behind Happy Dad (+32.4%). Other craft gainers over past 4 wks include New Belgium parent co Kirin-Lion (+3.8%), Sierra Nevada (+2%) and CANarchy (+1.6%), tho those numbers smaller than prev 4-wk period. New Belgium's 9% $$ growth was offset by Bell's and other FMB declines in the portfolio. Sierra was 2d-biggest craft $$ share gainer, up 0.5 over last 4 wks, driven by Hazy Little Thing (+9.6%) and Seasonal, which rose 8.9% in foodstores, among others.Tilray Down 15.8% for 4 Wks, Firestone Falls 11% While Athletic and Happy Dad led top 25 suppliers in sales growth rate over the last 4 wks, a buncha craft cos saw considerable drops, including Tilray, which was down 15.8%, most of any top co. Firestone Walker was down 11%, seemingly excluding Cali Squeeze brand that continues to post solid growth, as well as recent acquisitions of Stone and Trumer Pils. Mahou USA (Founders, Avery, imports) fell 9.5%, Gambrinus lagged 9% and Artisanal Brewing Ventures dipped 3%. Those cos all ran behind total beer, losing a bit of share, tho ABV outpaced craft segment.

Craft $$ Down 4.6%, Volume -6.8% for 4 Wks Thru May 17; Declines 2x Faster than Total Beer

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