BeerBoard, a leader in technology solutions and automated intelligence for the on-premise hospitality industry, just released its 2025 St. Patrick’s Day Report, a review of insights and performance data for on-premise alcohol performance on the weekend that everyone in America is at least a little bit Irish. All comparisons are same locations for the 2025 holiday weekend (Friday-Monday, March 14-17) vs the 2024 holiday weekend (Thursday-Sunday, March 14-17).
BeerBoard’s robust client list features local bars and restaurants, high-profile regional groups and major chain operators across North America including Buffalo Wild Wings, Hooters, Twin Peaks, Winking Lizard and Hickory Tavern. And without further ado, let’s see if any Leprechauns had an impact on alcohol performance:
Draft beer volume down for second straight year
For the second consecutive year, draft beer volume saw a significant decrease. On what is traditionally one of the biggest party weekends of the year, Draft volume was down -12.7% when compared to the same period in 2024. Correspondingly, revenue saw a decline of -12.6% over the weekend. This is coming off a 20% decrease for the holiday weekend in 2024 (when compared to 2023). We’ll continue to monitor the rest of the month and see if the NCAA Tournament leads to a spike in draft volume.
Draft style and brand performance
Light Lagers maintained a dominant position with a 44.1% volume share, though remained flat in volume performance (-0.2%). Lagers, the #2 style, marked an increase of +1.8% over 2024 and captured 21.1% of the volume share. IPAs, positioned at #3, saw a decline of -5.9% when compared to last year and held a 7.31% volume share.
Michelob Ultra was the #1-poured draft brand nationally, climbing +7.3% over 2024. Miller Lite, checking in at #2, was down a nominal -2.2%, while Coors Light was third and saw a -3.0% decline.
Looking at the growth of Mexican Lagers, the subcategory was +5.5%, with that success driven by Modelo Especial, which was +6.8% on the weekend.
Stouts (aka Guinness) outperform average returns
Notably, Stouts/Porters experienced a 1% increase in rate of sale (ROS) during the St. Patrick’s Day weekend compared to the previous year. Year-to-date (through 03/17/2025), Stouts/Porters ranked as the #10 style, but rose to the #7 position during the holiday weekend.
Guinness drove the movement for Stouts/Porters. Year-to-date (through 03/17/2025), Guinness Draught ranked as the #13 brand, but during the St. Patrick’s Day weekend it climbed to the #9 position. The brand’s volume share increased from 1.44% year-to-date to 3.12% during the holiday weekend, surpassing its YTD share by 117%. Bars poured an average of 122% more Guinness pints for these four days than the daily average for the 30 days before.
Packaged Products Performance
Top Styles (Volume Share / % Change)
1. Light Lager: 40.2% / -2.9%
2. Lagers: 35.0% / -6.8%
3. Non-Alcoholic: 6.4% / +113.2%
4. Hard Seltzers: 5.2% / +7.5%
5. RTD Cocktails: 4.2% / +68.7%
Top Brands (Volume Share / % Change)
1. Corona Extra: 15.5% / -7.8%
2. Michelob Ultra: 14.6% / +5.8%
3. Miller Lite: 11.0% / +3.8%
4. Modelo Especial: 8.7% / +42.6%
5. Coors Light: 7.8% / -4.9%
Spirits Performance
Top Styles (Volume Share / % Change)
Bourbon / Whiskey: 26.0% / -9.2%
Tequila / Mezcal: 17.1% / 15.2%
Vodka: 17.1% / -5.8%
Top Brands (Volume Share / % Change)
1. Titos Vodka: 8.1% / -4.6%
2. Jameson Irish Whiskey: 5.7% / -16.3%
3. Patron Silver: 3.9% / -11.8%
What was going on in The ‘Cuse?
It wouldn’t be St. Patrick’s Day without reporting on what happened in our home base of Syracuse, NY. Shockingly, Miller Lite overtook Guinness as the #1 draft beer poured in “The ’Cuse” on the holiday. Miller Lite was up 14.4% on the weekend. Guinness checked in at #2, though was up a nominal +0.7%. Labatt Blue was #3 in Syracuse, but saw a -11.5% decline over 2024.
Other major St. Paddy’s Day hubs
There are notable celebrations in cities around the country, including New York, Boston and Chicago. In NYC, draft volume was -11.8% for the weekend. Guinness was the top-poured brand and saw explosive growth (+112.4% over 2024). In Beantown, Bud Light was the most consumer draft (-19.4% vs 2024), though overall volume was down -7.8% on the weekend. In the Windy City, draft performance was down -3.4% while Miller Lite was the draft of choice, checking in with +4.2% growth.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.