Beer-to-go sales booming for Fourth of July

If you sell hot dogs, hamburgers or American flag bathing suits, the Fourth of July is good for business.

But arguably the biggest winners of the holiday are beer sellers, for whom the holiday is basically like Black Friday.

Americans will purchase well over 70 million cases of beer over the two weeks surrounding the holiday. In all, sales of beer and malt beverages will total $1.72 billion, according to figures from Nielsen.

Locally, distributors say that the combination of heat and visitors to the area make the Fourth a big day for beer.

“Most people are here for a good time. And with this heat, forget it. Beer’s going like water,” said Paul Montemuro, owner of Frosty Mountain Beverage in Albrightsville.

According to Nielsen, a global data analytics company, 8 percent of all beer sales will take place in the weeks surrounding the Fourth.

It goes without saying that people are more likely to buy beer for home during a holiday, even if they don’t normally keep a case in the fridge. With relatives and friends coming over, hosts want to make sure they have a good selection.

“There are so many big holidays, the Fourth is very large, especially when it hits in the middle of the week. Labor Day is another, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year,” said Connie Haydt, owner of Beltzville Beverage.

Most people would think of St. Patrick’s Day, the Super Bowl and Cinco De Mayo as some of the biggest holidays of the year for alcohol. They are, but more so for consuming beer “on-premise” (beer consumed in bars).

According to the National Beer Wholesalers Association, the Fourth of July, Memorial Day and Labor Day are the biggest for off-premise (beer to go) sales.

The summer holidays are the most popular when it comes to buying beer to go. The National Beer Wholesalers Association ranks the Fourth of July as the number one holiday for off-premise (consumed at home) beer sales.

According to Nielsen, people are also more inclined to buy an expensive beer over the Fourth than they would be the rest of the year. That could also have to do with entertaining guests. One-third of the “super-premium” beer sold in the U.S. throughout the year is sold during the summer months.

The influx of visitors from out of the area also drives up sales. Frosty Mountain especially sees many tourists who are visiting the Poconos during one of the most popular vacation weeks of the year for the area.

With the Fourth falling in the middle of the week, many people will celebrate two Fourth of July weekends. That means more business for distributors.

“We actually do more sales with it falling in the middle than it would on a Friday night,” Montemuro said.

Another big factor that drives beer sales is the temperature. People are more likely to grab a case of beer on a hot day. Combine that with the double holiday, and distributors are happy.

“These are the hottest days of the year. You could have no holiday, and still the sales are good,” Haydt said.