How Modelo Especial became America’s No. 1 beer amid Bud Light’s rapid decline

When it comes to beer, consumer tastes have been changing for a while, and that has a lot to do with customers’ aging out of the beer-drinking segment.

Cans of Modelo Especial beer are shown at a supermarket in New York on Wednesday, June 14, 2023. After more than two decades as Americas best-selling beer, Bud Light has slipped into second place. Modelo Especial, a Mexican lager, overtook Bud Light in U.S. retail dollar sales in the month ending June 3. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan) (Peter Morgan, Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Modelo Especial has officially become the bestselling beer in the U.S., surpassing Bud Light among brews purchased at supermarkets and convenience stores.

The fact that the Mexican import beat the embattled Bud Light may have come as a surprise to some.

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But consumer experts say Bud Light’s demotion has long been in the making as a new, younger generation of beer drinkers topples well-established brands. And many of those young consumers are simply switching away from beer altogether.

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