Move over, Bud Light. America has a new top-selling beer and it’s no longer an American brand.
Modelo Especial, a Mexican lager brewed by Constellation Brands, has taken over as the most-sold beer in the U.S., pushing down the Anheuser-Busch-made brand.
The damage to Bud Light began in April, when it partnered with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney for a single Instagram post, angering transphobic customers.
According to NielsenIQ data given to consulting firm Bump Williams, Modelo captured 8.4 per cent of U.S. retail beer sales in the States over four weeks in May, with Bud Light capturing only 7.3 per cent.
Furthermore, sales of Bud Light and Budweiser dropped 24.6 per cent and 9.2 per cent, respectively, for the four weeks ended June 3 from a year earlier, while Modelo Especial sales rose 10.2 per cent.
It’s a blow to the once-reigning beer brand, which claimed the top spot in beer sales for more than two decades.
The troubles began for Anheuser-Busch when it created a single, customized Bud Light can for Mulvaney, which she shared in a sponsored Instagram post on April 1.
Prominent conservative voices and media outlets went after the brand in the following weeks and many right-wing Americans targeted Bud Light and Mulvaney, hurling transphobic comments and spouting anti-trans rhetoric.
Musician Kid Rock was among the most notable to criticize Bud Light for the partnership. In video posted to social media, Kid Rock, whose real name is Robert James Ritchie, repeatedly fired an assault rifle at three cases of Bud Light. As beer bled from the bulleted blue boxes, he flipped off the camera and said, “F— Bud Light and f— Anheuser-Busch. Have a terrific day.”
Right-wing American commentator, Ben Shapiro, too, addressed the collaboration on his show, saying: “Well, folks, our culture has now decided men are women and women are men and you must be forced to consume products that say so.”
Anheuser-Busch, in what was seen by advocates and allies for the LGBTQ2+ community as a tepid response, released a statement as sales started to decline amid calls for a boycott.
“We never intended to be part of a discussion that divides people. We are in the business of bringing people together over a beer,” wrote Bud Light CEO and Anheuser-Busch owner Brendan Whitworth.
However, several prominent figures have stepped up in solidarity with Mulvaney and the LGBTQ2+ community.
Last week, country music superstar Garth Brooks announced his new bar in Nashville, Tenn., would serve Bud Light. When he faced inevitable backlash from conservative fans, he doubled down on this stance, telling the world he doesn’t stand for transphobic boycotts.
“Everybody’s got their opinions. But inclusiveness is always going to be me,” Brooks said in a livestream Tuesday. “I think diversity is the answer to the problems that are here and the answer to the problems that are coming. So I love diversity. All inclusive, so all are welcome. I understand that might not be other people’s opinions, but that’s OK, man.”
Billionaire Mark Cuban also stood in solidarity, telling corporate boards that they shouldn’t fear embracing issues like inclusivity and diversity.
“People want to do business with companies that care about their customers,” the Shark Tank star and owner of the Dallas Mavericks told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
“There is a reason almost all the top 10 market cap companies in the U.S. can be considered ‘woke,'” he continued. “It’s good business.”
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