Beer sales continue to slip. The Beer Institute published an unofficial estimate of domestic tax paid shipments by beer brewers for February 2018, and the percent change from last year continues to be significant. The February 2018 estimate is 11,202,000 barrels, a decrease of 3.4 percent versus February 2017 removals of 11,602,000. Please note that the estimates reflect revised estimates released by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB).
| Month | 2017 | 2018 | Percent Change | Volume Change |
| January | 12,889,000 | 12,167,000 | -5.6% | -722,000 |
| February | 11,602,000 | 11,202,000 | -3.4% | -400,000 |
| YTD | 24,491,000 | 23,369,000 | -4.6% | -1,122,000 |
Additional insights from the Brewers Association’s economist on January beer stats.
Preliminary TTB numbers for January underline what Beer Institute shipments report already suggested – January was not a good month for beer, particularly off premise.https://t.co/T8m2c7FqRe
— Bart Watson (@BrewersStats) April 6, 2018
