The Buckeye State saw the coronavirus pandemic coming and took, for the most part, necessary steps to provide for each other's safety as Ohioans worked to flatten the curve.
We worked from home. We skipped unnecessary social functions. We called our parents and told them to do the same.
We washed our hands
We stocked up on groceries, in a responsible way, not like preppers.
And we bought all the beer. All of it. Or most all of it, anyway.
According to Nielsen, Ohio off-premise beer sales were up 38% for the week ending March 14 over that same period in 2019. Those numbers topped all other states, with only Pennsylvania (33%) and Michigan (36%) coming close.
And those numbers are likely to go up.
“I think we’ll see the biggest jumps for the week ending March 14th and the week after that, and then we will start to see some of those spikes soften a bit,” Nielsen's VP of Beverage Alcohol Practice
told Brewbound. “A look into market by market will also be important. As cities and states enter a shelter-in-place phase, I think we can expect to see some spikes in sales for those markets, as consumers stock up and prepare to be at home for an unknown amount of time.”
“To me, this is an indication that beverage alcohol is important to consumers, but other consumer good categories are being prioritized, at least for now,” Kosmal said. “As more and more on premise locations close, I think we will continue to see off premise sales for Beer, Wine, and Spirits grow even more, and closing the gap with other consumer goods.”
It was, of course, not all good news on the beer front. Breweries have been shutdown and limited to takeout or delivery orders, and thousands have been laid off in the industry across the state. Be sure to grab a six pack or crowler, or three, from your favorite local shop this weekend.
