The NBWA’s Beer Purchasers’ Index (BPI) had its lowest index reading ever in the month of December 2022. The December BPI shows a reading of 30, and the “at-risk” inventory index of 51 marks a very pessimistic outlook for January 2023.
The BPI is the a forward-looking indicator for distributors to measure expected beer demand. The index surveys beer distributors’ purchases across different segments and compares them to previous years. A reading greater than 50 indicates the segment is expanding, while a reading below 50 indicates the segment is contracting.
The imports index was the only segment pointing to expanding volumes, with a reading of 54 in December, which is 19 points lower than the December 2021 reading of 74. While still above 50, the import segment has consistently trended lower month over month in 2022.
The craft index at 24 is well below the December 2021 reading of 60 and has reached its most significant low since 2015.
See the full Index report here.