In this article, we are going to discuss 22 cheap imported beer brands targeting Budweiser's market share. You can skip our detailed analysis of the share of imported beers in the U.S. beer market, evolution in the imported beers industry, importance of Mexican beers in the imported beer market and future outlook and go directly to 5 Cheap Imported Beer Brands Targeting Budweiser's Market Share.
Beer is the most consumer alcoholic drink in the United States. According to a report by the Brewers Association, the total size of the U.S. beer market in 2022 was $115.4 billion, up around 15% from the previous year, but the overall beer sales by volume in the country instead decreased by 3%, to 182,052,632 barrels.
According to data from Chicago-based Information Resources Inc. (IRI), sales of 10 biggest imported beer companies totaled more than $9.8 billion, an increase of 6.6 % in total U.S. multi-outlets, in 2022. It has also been reported that imported beer comprises nearly 18% of all beer consumed in the United States, according to the Beer Institute.
The imported beer segment is also evolving with time and launching newer and better options for its consumers to choose from. Last year, Modelo, a brand of Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ), launched its new light beer Modelo Oro in the cities of Fresno, Houston and Charlotte and has now expanded nationally. The low-cal, low-carb, premium light beer has been produced keeping in mind the modern consumer trends of the American beer market. Some other imported beer brands have also leaned towards the low carb/calorie trend, such as Heineken Silver and Corona Zero etc.
The timing for this could not have been better. Bud Light, by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD), is the leading light beer in the market and the most popular beer in America. The brand has recently been faced with a major controversy following its ad campaign with the famed transgender influencer, Dylan Mulvaney. The brand is weathering a severe consumer boycott and sales of Bud Light fell nearly 25% over the week ending May 13th, compared to the same period a year ago. Meanwhile, sales of rival beers have surged and a big chunk of this market share is being targeted by the light premium imported beers.
Aside from introducing newer products, imported beer manufacturers are also upgrading their packaging and marketing solutions to improve their performance in the U.S. market. In 2021, a Scottish company named Innis and Gunn, announced that its 'The Original' and 'Caribbean Rum Cask' brands are now available in 6-packs of 330 ml bottles, instead of the 4-pack of 300 ml bottles.
Also, the bottles were updated to clear glass, along with additional details like gold foil, embossed print and watermarks, to highlight the Innis and Gunn brand name and home city of Edinburgh. The company also invested heavily in marketing, while recruiting additional staff that will directly support the market. According to the company, this new ‘confident and premium’ look, along with their marketing campaign, drove 74% purchase intent among target beer consumers.
The import segment’s growth in the U.S. beer market is largely driven by Mexican beers and a big chunk of this goes to brands owned by Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ). Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) ended its fiscal year with a 10% increase in its revenue, to $7.46 billion. Constellation’s growth was spread across its portfolio, including record highs for Modelo Especial and Corona Extra, and strong double digit growth for Pacifico, Modelo Chelada and Victoria. Its operating income, up 6% to $2.86 billion, has been second only behind Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD) for several years now.
Yet, despite the positive performance of the imported beer market in 2022, analysts caution that inflation, depreciation of the dollar, tariffs on aluminum imports and a possible recession could hamper its growth.
With that said, here are the Cheap Imported Alternatives to Budweiser:
Competing with “The King of Beers'' in the American market is certainly not an easy endeavor. Budweiser was created in 1875 by Adolphus Busch, a German-American immigrant, and quickly became one of the best-selling brews in the country. According to a study, Budweiser, owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV (NYSE:BUD), is the most recognizable beer brand in the U.S., with 84% of respondents to the study being aware of the pale lager brand.
A 6-pack of 12 FL OZ bottles of Buwdeiser is available at Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) stores for $8.27. For this list, we have searched the online stores of major retailers, such as Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT), Target, Aldi, Dollar General etc. and even Amazon.com, Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN) and we have only picked import beers that have a 6-pack price of less than $10 (excluding sales tax).
Still brewed according to ‘Reinheitsgebot’, the German purity law of 1516, Beck’s has wonderful floral and fruity European Noble hop aromas. The 4.8% ABV German pilsner uses only four ingredients: water, malted barley, hops and yeast. The taste is defined as full-bodied, sweet and soft-balanced with a clean, dry hop finish.
21. Labatt Blue
Labatt Blue is the world’s best-selling Canadian beer. The 5% ABV pilsner is brewed with the finest ingredients, including the renowned Hallertau hops, 2-row malted barley and pure Canadian barley. The brand is also an innovator as it was the first beer brand in Canada to include a twist-off top. Labatt Blue has a clean, refreshing taste with a distinct hop aroma, delicate fruity flavor and a slightly sweet aftertaste.
20. Hoegaarden
Another cheap imported beer brand targeting Budweiser’s market share is Hoegaarden. This original Belgian wheat beer dates back to the 15th century, when a group of monks decided to experiment with their brewing process. After adding a dash of botanicals, the Hoegaarden White beer was born. Flavored with coriander and orange peel, the 4.9% ABV beer is sweet and sour, with a note of bitterness.
19. St. Pauli Girl
Also brewed in accordance with the German purity laws of 1516, St Pauli Girl is identifiable by its iconic logo of a German blonde girl in a traditional garb. The 4.9% ABV lager has a deep-golden color, a distinctive full-bodied taste and a ‘hoppy’ aroma. The Girl has also been a gold medal winner for the American Tasting Institute's Best Full Calorie German Lager.
18. Pilsner Urquell
When King Wenceslas II of Bohemia founded the city of Plzen in 1295, he granted its 260 households the right to make beer. For hundreds of years, the city has lived up to its traditions and has given us some of the best pilsners in the world. The 4.4% ABV World’s Original Pilsner is still brewed with the same soft Plzen water, saaz hops from Zatec, Czech barley from Moravia and the same H-strain yeast.
17. Harp
Harp lager was first produced in 1960 as a bottled beer by the Guinness company, now Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO), in the Dundalk brewer in Ireland. In 2008, Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO) announced that it was closing down the Dundalk brewery and so production was shifted to Dublin. The 4.3% ABV Irish lager has a bright pale golden color, with a fruity, crisp and clean taste. Its price and other features make it one of the cheapest imported beers targeting Budweiser's market.
16. Red Stripe
This easygoing Jamaican lager actually got off to a rough start when it first started selling in the U.S. in 1985, in widely used tall bottles. Then marketers came up with the solution by switching to the signature squat design that people had seen while traveling to Jamaica. Red Stripe is a 4.7% ABV refreshing lager with a rather soft taste.
15. Stella Artois
Named after the Christmas star, Stella Artois is a 5.2% ABV pilsner from Belgium. Over 600 years of expertise, brought to life in a beautifully balanced lager. It is a fruity, crisp and soft beer, made from barley malt, water, hops and maize. Yeast is also used in the fermentation process but almost all of it is removed before packaging. A 6-pack of Stella Artois Lager is available at Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) stores for $9.27, thus targeting Budweiser’s market share. Stella Artois had total dollar sales of $401.5 million in total U.S. multi-outlets in 2022, according to IRI, ranking it fifth among imported beers in terms of dollar sales.
14. Pacifico Clara
Discovered in the 1970s by surfers along the Baja coast and brought back to the United States, Cerveza Pacifico Clara Mexican Beer is a 4.5% ABV pilsner-style lager beer that is hearty and crisp with a touch of grass-citrus and ocean mist flavor. While it is light enough to be refreshing in the summer, Pacifico also has a full-bodied and distinctive taste. Although it is a Mexican beer, Pacifico Clara is owned by Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ). According to IRI, Pacifico had total dollar sales of around $271.5 million in total U.S. multi-outlets in 2022.
13. Molson Dry
Here we have another cheap imported beer targeting Budweiser’s market. Although the centuries-old Canadian Molson brewery merged with the Molson Coors Beverage Company (NYSE:TAP) in 2005, it still makes beer in Canada and exports to the U.S. The easy-drinking 5.5% ABV lager has a lower sweetness, carefully balanced by the use of high quality German and Pacific Northwestern aroma hops. Molson Dry also won the gold medal for North American Specialty Lager in the 2002 World Beer Cup.
12. Guinness Draught Stout
More than 250 years old, popular worldwide and probably the cheapest stout that is widely available in the U.S.,Guinness Draught Stout is the original nitrogen-infused beer. Owned by Diageo plc (NYSE:DEO), the 4.2% ABV beer can look dark and heavy but it actually tastes deliciously light and smooth, with notes of roasted barley, caramel, coffee and chocolate. Guinness had total dollar sales of around $198 million in total U.S. multi-outlets in 2022.
11. Foster’s Lager
Created by William and Ralph Foster in 1887, Foster’s is the largest selling Australian beer brand in the world. Unlike other beers, Foster’s hops are added at the end of the brewing process to preserve their freshness, giving the 5% ABV lager its bold, refreshing taste. Foster's had total dollar sales of around $78.6 million in total U.S. multi-outlets in 2022.
10. Peroni Nastro Azzurro
Created in 1963, Peroni Nastro Azzurro is a 5.1% ABV Italian lager beer with a crisp and refreshing taste and a subtle citrus aroma. Light and clean like a pilsner, this pale lager uses the finest ingredients for a delicate balance of bitterness and citrus, and spicy aromatic notes combined with a fast and clean finish.
9. Sapporo Premium
The 4.9% ABV Japanese beer was first introduced in the U.S. in 1964 and since then, Sapporo has grown to be the #1 top-selling Asian beer brand in America. Sapporo might be slightly more bitter than domestic lagers, such as Budweiser, but it has a crisp and perfectly balanced taste, with a refreshing flavor and clean finish.
8. Estrella Jalisco
Made with more than 100 years of tradition, this authentic Mexican premium pilsner beer has a pale golden color, a refreshing and crisp flavor and a pleasantly clean finish with no aftertaste. Estrella Jalisco contains 4.5% ABV while drinking and is the perfect beer to drink anytime the occasion calls for refreshing drinks.
7. Sol
Created in 1899, Sol Cerveza is a refreshing Mexican lager with 4.5% ABV, that’s comparable to Corona in its light taste. It is light, crisp and perfect for the summer sun. Legend has it that as the master brewer bottled the first batch of an experimental new recipe, it was illuminated by a ray of sunlight and thus he decided to name it ‘El Sol’.
6. Tecate
Born in the western bicultural borderland of Baja California, the beer from its namesake town of Tecate has been using the same recipe since 1944. This 4.5% ABV Mexican golden beer is a full-bodied lager, with a malt crisp flavor and low to medium bitterness that finishes clean. Tecate had total dollar sales of $125.3 million in total U.S. multi-outlets in 2022.
