New data suggests Bud Light is no longer tops in America’s taprooms — at least when it comes to the most popular draft beers offered at bars across the U.S.
Draftline Technologies, a company that provides software for beverage distributors, found in a recent report that Michelob Ultra — which, like Bud Light, is owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev — recently overtook Bud Light in terms of the “number of tap handles” operating at U.S venues with beer systems.
Jennifer Hauke, the founder of Draftline Technologies, said Michelob Ultra has been poised to reach the top spot for years.
“The rise of Michelob Ultra as the leader by number of tap handles on draft reflects shifting consumer preference,” Hauke said in an emailed statement to Nexstar. “Michelob Ultra has been on a path to surpass Bud Light as the #1 brand on draft (by total taps) for a number of years. The news is Michelob Ultra did it — we have a new #1.”
News of Michelob Ultra overtaking Bud Light (in terms of beer taps) comes about a year and a half after Bud Light lost its title of best-selling overall beer to Modelo Especial. In July 2024, Michelob had also surpassed Bud Light as the second-best-selling beer, dropping Bud Light to third place.
The decline, at least in part, has been credited to backlash over Bud Light’s 2023 collaboration with Dylan Mulvaney, a transgender activist and influencer. The collaboration caused calls for a boycott from critics of the brand’s partnership with Mulvaney. But some of Mulvaney’s fans, as well as members of the LGBTQ+ community, also became critical of Anheuser-Busch over their handling of the backlash.
“For a company to hire a trans person and then not publicly stand by them is worse in my opinion than not hiring a trans person at all because it gives customers permission to be as transphobic and hateful as they want,” Mulvaney said in June 2023 TikTok video. “And the hate doesn’t end with me.”
Draftline Technologies, meanwhile, added that Michelob Ultra’s rise as the best-selling draft beer is also due to customer tastes that reflects a “broader alignment with health-conscious, premium beer trends.”
“It’s important to note that Michelob Ultra’s rise has been years in the making,” Hauke said.
Anheuser-Busch InBev was not immediately available to comment on Draftline Technologies’ findings. But a representative told CNN that the company is “proud” to have two of its beers as the first- and second-most-popular drafts.
“Bud Light is more than 30% bigger than the next closest draft competitor,” the Anheuser-Busch InBev spokesperson added.
Draftline Technologies based its findings on data collected from “just over 1 million lines” at beer venues in 40 states. Hauke told Nexstar that the company tracks “somewhere between” one-half to two-thirds of all beer systems in the U.S., according to its own estimates.
