Not Budweiser or Coors: these are the beers that are not pricing above inflation
Times are hard and relative prices of everyday items just seem to keep rising, but beer has an interesting taste.
“Beer is still one of the few things you can buy today that doesn’t feel like you’ll need to remortgage,” says nearly every host of a home football viewing session. Well, a new analysis confirms this hunch.
While shoppers are still paying more for their six-packs and crates, beer has not sprinted ahead of inflation the way some food and other essentials have.
According to FinanceBuzz – who guzzled through the data – overall grocery prices are up 37% since 2015, while beer has climbed 29% for at-home consumption. That puts beer six points below the national inflation rate of 35%. Alcohol as a broader category is even flatter, averaging just 16% growth.
The timing matters: between 2015 and 2020, beer actually outpaced inflation, but in the past five years national prices raced ahead while breweries held steady.
Which beer brands are keeping pace?
When researchers compared 15 popular brands, the average 12-pack now costs $16.39, up from $11.62 a decade ago, a 41% jump that looks steeper than the overall beer category. But not all brews are guilty of pushing past inflation.
Bud Light, Budweiser, Coors Light, Miller Lite: up 36%, almost identical to the national inflation rate.
Corona Extra and Modelo Especial: up 35%, exactly matching it.
Heineken: up 31%, noticeably under.
Blue Moon: the relative bargain of the group, at +27%.
Meanwhile, Samuel Adams (+71%) and Dos Equis (+58%) are leading the charge on price hikes.
Here is the full table from Finance Buzz’s analysis:
| Beer brand | 2015 price | 2025 price | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Adams Summer Ale | $13.99 | $23.99 | +71% |
| Dos Equis | $11.99 | $18.99 | +58% |
| Miller High Life | $8.99 | $12.99 | +44% |
| PBR | $8.99 | $12.99 | +44% |
| Guinness | $12.99 | $18.49 | +42% |
| Michelob Ultra | $10.99 | $15.49 | +41% |
| Yuengling | $10.49 | $14.49 | +38% |
| Bud Light | $10.99 | $14.99 | +36% |
| Budweiser | $10.99 | $14.99 | +36% |
| Coors Light | $10.99 | $14.99 | +36% |
| Miller Lite | $10.99 | $14.99 | +36% |
| Corona Extra | $12.99 | $17.49 | +35% |
| Modelo Especial | $12.99 | $17.49 | +35% |
| Heineken | $12.99 | $16.99 | +31% |
| Blue Moon | $12.99 | $16.49 | +27% |
Average (all brands): $11.62 to $16.39 (+41%)
Why is the beer price trend slowing?
Economists often call alcohol “recession-resistant.” Even when belts tighten, drinkers tend not to give up their favorite brands, which may discourage brewers from pushing prices too far. Competitive pressure between mass-market lagers also helps keep costs in check.
For drinkers, a $4.77 bump for a 12-pack over ten years is hardly welcome, but it’s modest compared with the surge in eggs, meat, or cereal. For households balancing inflated grocery bills, that case of beer might feel like the one small mercy still left in the shopping cart. I’ll drink to that.
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