Alcohol sales surge during pandemic, lockdowns. Here’s what people are drinking

How are Americans coping with the global coronavirus pandemic? According to alcohol industry sales figures, they’re drinking — a lot.

Alcohol sales for the past three months have grown by 27%, CNN reports.

Off-premise sales of spirits have risen 32%, while wine sales have increased 26% and beer sales are up 17% over the same period in 2019, according to Wine Business. Americans spent $1 billion on beer over the Memorial Day weekend.

But those gains in off-premise beer sales don’t make up for the loss of on-premise sales as bars and restaurants are just starting to reopen, Brewbound reported. Craft beers, in particular, are hard-hit because 40% of their volume normally comes from on-premise sales.

Even as some bars and restaurants reopen, alcohol delivery services like Drizly, which reports a 400% increase in sales, continue to do a booming business, Bloomberg reported.

“Sales have continued to distribute across the week as more consumers are home during the work week,” the company says, according to the publication.

Or, as one analyst put it, “every night is Friday night for people,” Bloomberg reported.

What are people drinking?

Budget beers, such as Busch Light, Miller Lite and Natural Light, are strong sellers for both price and familiarity, CNN reports. They’re also lower-calorie options, which also has driven sales for White Claw and tequila.

Despite a recession, more expensive imports, such as Corona, also are selling well, CNN reported.

People may be redirecting money they’d once have spent going out into buying pricier alcohol, Bloomberg reported.

Hard seltzers have had nearly $1 billion in sales from March 7 to May 30, compared with $1.5 billion in all of 2019, CNN reported.

This story was originally published June 10, 2020 at 3:15 PM with the headline "Alcohol sales surge during pandemic, lockdowns. Here’s what people are drinking."