September 26/Chicago/PRNewswire -- Beer remained the largest segment of the U.S. adult beverage industry, accounting for more than four-fifths of total alcohol volume, but was challenged by both economic and consumer trends that resulted in a 1.3% decline in 2011. Total beer volume was 2.8 billion 2.25-gallon cases for the year, according to Technomic's recently-released "2012 BeerTAB (Trends in Adult Beverage)" report.
"The beer consumer is really at the heart of the trends shaping the beer market," said Donna Hood Crecca, senior director, Adult Beverage Resource Group at Technomic. "The core consumers for the major domestic brands were among those most impacted by the recession, so their spending habits changed. At the same time, taste preferences evolved, especially among younger consumers, and we saw beer drinkers increasingly seeking different styles and more complex or varied flavor profiles. Both trends affected the powerhouse categories and brands, which resulted in the overall decline."