Modelo Especial Pushes Bud Light to No.2 in U.S. Beer Rankings

Anheuser-Busch's Bud Light has been dethroned as the No. 1 beer in the U.S. by Modelo Especial, produced by Constellation Brands. Modelo Especial has 8.4%of U.S. retail beer sales in the four weeks ended June 3, while sales of Bud Light fell to 7.3% in the same period, according to Bump Williams who analyzed Nielsen IQ data.

Until the four weeks ended April 22, Bud Light had about 10% of the U.S. beer market.  Then Bud Light's share dropped to 8.7% and has been trending downward ever since.  

April 22, of course, is about the time the Dylan Mulvaney controversy erupted after the transgender influencer displayed a can of Bud Light with her picture on heer Instagram account.   A-B said the can was a special production, the sort of thing it has done for other influencers.  But conservative commentators and others launched a boycott campaign which appears to have been successful.