Bud Light Replaced by Modelo Especial as US’ Top-Selling Beer After Dylan Mulvaney Controversies

Bud Light, a Light Lager style beer brewed by Anheuser-Busch, reportedly lost its title as the best-selling beer in the United States after it was boycotted over an ad that featured Dylan Mulvaney, a social media influencer.

As it is no longer the top-selling beer in America as of May, Modelo Especial, an authentic Mexican lager beer produced by Constellation Brands, has reportedly taken its place. It was noted that Bug Light has been overthrown last month after staying at the No. 1 spot for more than two decades.

Its displacement in the ranking further put a spotlight on how much trouble Anheuser-Busch had to go through after collaborating with the 26-year-old transgender influencer. The beermaker's troubles apparently started after Mulvaney shared a photo on Instagram showing a Bud Light can with her face on it, as per CNN Business.

It was a sponsored post that earned heavy backlash from conservatives. Since that IG post in April, Anheuser-Busch's Bud Light beer suffered a major blow as people stopped buying it. In some cases, consumers shared videos where Bud Light products were being thrown out in trash bins and destroyed beer containers.

Now, for four weeks ending on June 3, it was reported that Modelo Especial gained 8.4% of the retail beer sales in the U.S., resulting in Bud Light slipping into second place with 7.3%. This figure is based on the data supplied by NIQ to the Bump Williams consulting firm. The sales of Bud Light eventually dropped by 24.4%, while Modelo Especial's grew by as much as 12.2%

"Modelo Especial appears to be increasing its sales growth each week as we get deeper into summer," the consulting company told the publication.

Finally, Reuters further quoted certified instructor of craft beer business at the University of Vermont, Jon Reynolds, as saying with regard to Anheuser-Busch's decline, "Bud Light's stumble with Dylan Mulvaney will certainly hurt their chances to take market share, but Miller Lite, Coors Light and Modelo will reap most of those rewards."

Photo by: Esperanza Doronila/Unsplash