NBWA Beer Purchasers' Index Flat in September

The way things have been for beer lately, this qualifies as good news: The September data for the National Beer Wholesalers Association's Beer Purchasers Index did not change significantly from August, as the BPI stayed in place below the (50) benchmark at 45 while the At-Risk Inventory (ARI) measure ticked up one point to 53. September ordering trends across segments were static; outside of an 11-point jump for cider, all segments were within 5 points of their 2022 comps.      

The index for imports continues to point to expanding volumes with September 2023 reading at 62.

The craft index at 27 for September 2023 continues to signal contraction in this segment and is nearly unchanged from September 2022 reading at 26.

The premium light index fell into the contraction zone with an index reading at 47 for September 2023, also unchanged from September 2022 reading at 47.

The premium regular segment index for September 2023 at 40 is slightly higher than September 2022 reading at 36.

The below premium segment for September 2023 at 42 is slightly lower than September 2022 reading at 47.

The FMB/seltzer reading at 28 for September 2023 is only slightly higher than the September 2022 reading at 24.

Finally, the cider segment posted a September reading at 35 compared to 24 in September 2022.