The draft beer drinker has money to burn and spends more of it dining and drinking out than the average U.S. on-premise consumer or packaged beer buyer, according to a new report from CGA and Draftline Technologies, shared exclusively with Brewbound.

The latest report breaks down who drinks draft beer in 2025, the opportunities to reach underrepresented demographic groups and the keys to unlocking draft sales. Brewbound Insiders are reading highlights from the report. 

In today’s Brewbound Insider Newsletter and at Brewbound.com, Insiders are also reading about:

• Maine Beer Co. co-founder Dan Kleban entering the Pine Tree State’s U.S. Senate race;
• Suntory’s change at CEO;
• Pernod Ricard’s restructured distribution footprint and big RTD plans;
• 21st Amendment’s leadership change;
• Xul’s plans to takeover Southern Grist’s taprooms;
• And Circana’s pre-Labor Day scans.

Insiders also have access to the Brewbound Newsletter Archive, including previous newsletter-exclusive Insider content.

Become a Brewbound Insider today!

Or, be in the know on all food and beverage news from Brewbound, BevNET and NOSH with Insider All Access.

Who drinks draft beer these days? 

The typical draft consumer is an older white man who is “relatively affluent" and spends around $201 monthly on dining and drinking in on-premise outlets, according to the latest “On Premise Draft Opportunity” report from CGA, NIQ’s on-premise arm, and Draftline Technologies, a firm that tracks more than 1 million draft beer lines across 40 states and sells products for maintaining draft lines.

Insiders can go deeper into the report, including the most effective ways of advertising to consumers in bars and restaurants, how much sales increase with tighter cleaning cycles and why variety matters on draft towers.

Maine Beer Co. founder Dan Kleban has entered the ME race to unseat longtime U.S. Senator Susan Collins.

Kleban is the latest candidate to join a growing field of challengers in the state’s Democratic primary to take on Collins, a Republican, in 2026. His campaign website launched today.

Insiders can read more about Kleban’s campaign, the growing primary field and Maine Beer’s recent volume gains. 

One of Japan’s best-known business leaders and the head of Suntory Holdings has resigned after a police investigation into the purchase of supplements that may have violated the country’s strict drug laws.

Chairman and CEO Takeshi Niinami resigned before the conclusion of the investigation, the company said at a news conference Tuesday. 

Insiders can read more here.

Pernod Ricard is shaking up its distribution partnerships as it plans to triple its RTD footprint in the U.S. over the next 3 years.

Following a full-year earnings report last week that showed RTD sales up 7%, the French spirits group announced a transformation of its route-to-market strategy that will support a newly created RTD department.

Insiders can read more here.

Bev-alc’s negative trends remained relatively unchanged ahead of Labor Day, according to the latest weekly report from market research firm Circana.

In the week ending August 24, total bev-alc dollar sales in Circana-tracked off-premise channels declined 2.2% YoY, while volume, measured in case sales, fell 3.8%. In the previous week (data ending August 17), dollar sales were down 2.7% while volume declined 4.3%. 

Circana EVP of BevAl Scott Scanlon wrote: “Upcoming, expect to see a surge within the data for Labor Day, although it will be ‘partial data’ with data period ending Sunday vs. Labor Day Monday holiday.

“Almost a certainty we will see a surge within hypergrowth spirit RTDs. The area of focus will be the beer category and how much growth will be realized from the brands to close out the summer season.”

Insiders can read more, including a dive into the latest figures for beer, wine, spirits and RTDs, as well as top beer brand family performances.

Two months after reporting a down Q1, Constellation Brands downgraded its guidance for fiscal year 2026, according to a press release issued today. 

Projected net sales growth for Constellation’s beer division (Modelo, Corona, Pacifico, Victoria) has been shifted to -4% to -2%, down from flat to +3%. Projected beer operating income sank from growth (flat to +2%) to -9% to -7%, due to “impact from lower volumes, operating deleveraging and additional tariffs.”

Insiders can read more about the drivers behind changes to Constellation’s guidance and the company’s recent scan data performance. 

Brewbound Live, our annual business conference for beverage-alcohol professionals returns to Marina del Rey, California, on December 10 and 11.

Tickets are available now for the 2-day gathering of founders, entrepreneurs, c-suite executives, retailers, distributors and suppliers from across the industry. The event will include on-stage conversations with industry leaders, networking and pre-arranged one-to-one conversations with retailers and distributors.

Several speakers and one-to-one participants have been announced, with more on the way. 

Register for Brewbound Live 2025 >>

Brewbound Live is presented by Powered by Sorse, Fast Track Packaging, Strike Visuals, John I. Haas, Can-One, and Tripleseat Software LLC. Sponsorship opportunities are still available for those seeking to elevate their presence beyond participation.

Craving more? 👉 See what Insider members get access to.

Have feedback? 📝 Take the Survey Now >>

Want to share news or tips? ✉️ Submit a press release or reach out to news@brewbound.com.

Interested in other beverage coverage? 👀 Check out the BevNET Daily Briefing covering the broader beverage industry, including energy drinks, cannabis and other non-alcoholic beverages. Want to stick to the hard stuff? Subscribe to our Spirits Newsletter (published every 2 weeks). 

We'll be back in your inbox tomorrow.