Which Summer Beers Dominate the Season? | Summer Beer Trends Since 2020

Summer beers make me feel fine. Or whatever the lyrics to that song were.

Summer trends ebb and flow every year. Alcohol is no different. Recently, it’s been canned cocktails. In 2026, Gen Z-ers will be sipping some agave-based whatever by the pool (probably).

But the one summer drink that never goes out of style? Beer.

We dug into six years of Saucey alcohol delivery data—from June 1 to September 1, each summer from 2020 through 2025 (with this year’s data up through July 23)—to see which beer brands topped the charts and how drinkers’ tastes shifted with time, trends, and a few pandemic-era curveballs.

Note: Saucey classifies hard seltzers and ciders as beers.

Beer Dominates the Summer

Although summer drink trends all battle to be the next biggest thing, beer has remained rock solid. It’s made up about 20% of alcohol sales on Saucey each summer.

Beer’s Category Share Each Summer:

• 2020: 23.4%
• 2021: 20.3%
• 2022: 19.6%
• 2023: 19.9%
• 2024: 19.2%
• 2025: 20.0%

That’s a six-year average of 20.4%.

The peak came in 2020 at 23.4%. Because this period was amidst the stay-at-home orders across the country, it’s likely that long-time customers leaned into what they were already drinking during the summer while new customers got delivered what they would’ve picked up at the liquor store.

Throughout it all, the category never dipped below 19%.

The Most Popular Summer Beers

Let’s first zoom in on the most popular beers of summer 2025 so far:

1. Modelo Especial
2. Bud Light
3. White Claw Variety Pack No. 1
4. Corona Extra
5. Coors Light
6. Lagunitas Brewing IPA
7. Miller Lite
8. Budweiser
9. White Claw Variety Pack No. 3
10. Stella Artois

The headliner? Modelo sits at #1, a continuation of its rise over the past few years.

White Claw’s original Variety Pack is still holding strong, but it is no longer the clear-cut leader it once was. However, versions like Variety Pack No. 3 hint that seltzer innovation isn’t dead, and may signify some cannibalization of the first variety pack.

Classic light lagers (Bud Light, Coors, Miller Lite, Budweiser) are holding their own, while Lagunitas IPA continues to fly the craft flag.

Now compare that to the overall top 10 across the last six years:

1. White Claw Variety Pack No. 1
2. Modelo Especial
3. Bud Light
4. Coors Light
5. Stella Artois
6. Corona Extra
7. White Claw Black Cherry
8. Lagunitas Brewing IPA
9. Miller Lite
10. Budweiser

Here, White Claw’s long-standing dominance is more obvious. It’s the most-ordered beer product across the entire six-year stretch—and shows up twice with both its Variety Pack and Black Cherry flavor.

But across both lists, a few names prove themselves undeniable:

• Modelo, Bud Light, Coors, and Corona are perennial heavy hitters.

• Stella Artois and Lagunitas IPA show that premium and craft choices have staying power.

• Budweiser and Miller Lite might not be flashy, but they’re always there when summer hits.

This comparison between 2025 by itself and 2020-2025 overall shows that many of the top products haven’t changed much but reveals how some alcohol trends have become weaker, like White Claw’s small drop in the rankings.

Top Beer Products on Saucey | 2020-2025

White Claw’s Golden Era: 2020-2023

Summer 2020 wasn’t just about lockdowns. It was the year White Claw truly broke through.

In 2020, hard seltzer sales topped $4.14 billion, increasing by 160.4% from the previous year. White Claw and competitor Truly combined for 75% of those sales.

Saucey wasn’t exempt from the craze. White Claw Variety Pack No. 1 held the top summer beer spot for four consecutive years (2020-2023), a massive surge after landing fifth in 2019 and 67th in 2018. Black Cherry and Mango flavors also made regular appearances post-2020, riding a wave of low-calorie appeal and social media frenzy.

Yet, trends inevitably shift. By 2024, the seltzer craze started showing signs of fatigue, paving the way for regular old beer to reclaim its crown.

Modelo Especial Takes the Top Spot

While White Claw defined early-decade summers, these past two years belong to Modelo. This Mexican lager has always been popular, but in the summers of 2024 and 2025, Modelo claimed the top spot—finally surpassing longtime heavyweight Bud Light and former favorite White Claw.

The momentum behind Modelo mirrors broader trends across America. Refreshing, crisp Mexican lagers are becoming the new summer beer, aligning perfectly with poolside relaxation, backyard grilling, and beach-day refreshment.

And there’s reason to believe beers like Modelo, Corona, and Pacifico will only grow in popularity summers hereafter. According to Accio, Mexican beer sales are projected to grow from $20.21 billion in 2023 to $50 billion by 2035.

Classics are Classic for a Reason

Throughout these six years, classic American lagers like Bud Light, Coors Light, Miller Lite, and Budweiser consistently ranked among the top beers ordered each summer. These timeless options never left the top 10, proving that familiarity still counts for a lot when stocking coolers nationwide.

Bud Light in particular remained a top-3 beer through nearly every summer. The consistency showcases the brand’s resilience amid both changing tastes and their disastrous 2024 social media campaign with Dylan Mulvaney.

Don’t Count Out Craft Beers and Premium Options

Craft beer might not have dominated Saucey’s charts, but a select few consistently appeared:

• Lagunitas IPA, the top craft beer ordered, cracked the top 10 in four of the six years.

• Stella Artois, a premium Belgian pilsner, quietly appeared in the top 10 all six years.

• Heineken made appearances during the early 2020s but faded later in the decade, suggesting premium imports faced competition from Mexican lagers and seltzers.

What Six Summers of Beer Teaches Us

Trends come and go. Hard seltzers, hard teas, canned cocktails, even THC-infused spritzers. But beer? It stays. It adapts. It evolves.

From White Claw’s rocket rise to Modelo’s current reign, or Bud Light’s consistency to Stella’s quiet premium presence, the story of summer beer is one of slow shifts.

As we wrap up July and head toward Labor Day, one thing’s clear: no matter what new drink drops next summer, beer will remain one of America’s favorite summertime drinks.

Top Summer Beers Through the Years

Below is a breakdown of the most popular summer beers on Saucey from 2020-2025.

2020

1. White Claw Variety Pack No. 1
2. Modelo Especial
3. Bud Light
4. Coors Light
5. Stella Artois
6. White Claw Mango
7. Corona Extra
8. White Claw Black Cherry
9. Lagunitas Brewing IPA
10. Miller Lite

2021

1. White Claw Variety Pack No. 1
2. Bud Light
3. Modelo Especial
4. Stella Artois
5. Coors Light
6. Corona Extra
7. Heineken
8. Lagunitas Brewing IPA
9. White Claw Black Cherry
10. Budweiser

2022

1. White Claw Variety Pack No. 1
2. Modelo Especial
3. Bud Light
4. Coors Light
5. Corona Extra
6. Stella Artois
7. White Claw Black Cherry
8. Lagunitas Brewing IPA
9. Heineken
10. Michelob Ultra

2023

1. White Claw Variety Pack No. 1
2. Modelo Especial
3. Bud Light
4. Coors Light
5. White Claw Black Cherry
6. White Claw Variety Pack No. 2
7. Stella Artois
8. Corona Extra
9. Miller Lite
10. Michelob Ultra

2024

1. Modelo Especial
2. Bud Light
3. Coors Light
4. Budweiser
5. White Claw Variety Pack No. 1
6. White Claw Black Cherry
7. Michelob Ultra
8. Stella Artois
9. Corona Extra
10. Miller Lite

2025

1. Modelo Especial
2. Bud Light
3. White Claw variety Pack No. 1
4. Corona Extra
5. Coors Light
6. Lagunitas Brewing IPA
7. Miller Lite
8. Budweiser
9. White Claw Variety Pack No. 3
10. Stella Artois

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