Fancy Brews Face Funky Times, But Hope’s Still on Tap
Global sales of premium and above beer had a rough start in 2025. The first half of the year saw volumes drop by 2%. That’s not just craft beer snob drama; the whole beverage world caught a cold, with the top 20 markets slumping 1%. Spirits somehow grew 1% and wine continued its time-honored decline, losing 5%.
So, what happened to all those fancy beers lined up on the supermarket shelf? After years of “premiumisation” — that word marketers love — the trend seems to have hit the brakes. Since 2019, higher-priced beer was the darling of the industry. Then, in early 2024, the magic ran out. Blame it on economic blues, cautious consumers, and weather more suited to hot cocoa.
Premium beer faced trouble everywhere. In the US, it’s been squeezed by ready-to-drink cocktails (those canned mojitos are coming for you) and a wave of craft brewery closures. Even Mexican beer imports felt the pinch — tariffs and a belt-tightening Hispanic population made sure of that. And Americans, feeling cost-of-living pain, now care more about price tags than bottle labels.
It gets gloomier in Germany, Brazil, and China. China’s premium beer volumes crashed by 13% in the first half of 2025, a plunge after the industry’s wild 91% leap a year before. Restaurants shutting their doors didn’t help. So much for that urban cool craft scene.
Yet opportunity knocks (quietly). Out of the 20 biggest beer markets, 12 actually saw growth in premium-and-above beer. India is the hero here, chugging down an 8% increase in fancier brews and leading a 7% overall beer volume climb. Good weather and southern India’s lively scene kept those glasses full — at least until monsoon season crashed the party.
South Africa and Mexico found joy in all price bands, and, oddly enough, non-alcoholic beer. Turns out you can sell an expensive beer without the booze, and it works. The UK clung to world beer and stout, ticking up in premium sales, and Japan got a boost from thirsty tourists and tax tweaks that made fancy beer feel closer to the masses.
Across Europe, beer as a whole wasn’t having the best time. Sales slipped 3%, but premium stuff held up surprisingly well. Nearly every country except Germany and Spain managed to keep expensive beer growing. Maybe European beer drinkers just want something to feel superior about, even when the economy stumbles.
Despite premium beer’s global stutter step, there’s still a half-full glass. Most of the world’s top markets saw premium sales grow, if not everywhere, then in enough places to keep hope on tap. Turns out beer snobbery isn’t dead — it’s just taking a nap until the next round.
At b33r.xyz, we’re starting to worry that some of you, our cherished readers, might be losing your taste for beer—literally and figuratively. It’s a troubling thought, like hearing your favorite brewery might close or realizing your beloved stout has gone mysteriously flat. So here’s our heartfelt wish: may you soon regain your appetite for that perfect pint, for the hoppy, the malty, the tart, and the downright delicious. Because as the premium beer world catches its breath, we know true beer lovers never do. Drink up, the cure for this sip-size slump might just be your next glass.
