Alcohol Supply & Demand vs. Covid-19

Written By: Jason Lee

“When times are good, people drink. When times are bad, they drink more,” quips Steve Lauth, CEO of Tequila Partida.  
Despite the obstacles 2020 brought, sales of tequila soared. “The category has seen over 46% growth,” says Vice President of Marketing for Patrón Tequila, Adrian Parker. Other estimates put the growth at over 58%. This shift has led to agave shortages across the country, as brands race to get more tequila on the shelves.  
“We are dealing with agave shortages,” says Federico "Fede" Vaughan, the CEO and Co-Founder of Código 1530. “It’s just temporary and should be solved in the next few years. But there is a huge shortage. Agave prices are at an all-time high because there’s no inventory and the agave planting was not well-planned.” Agave shortages and the uptick in sales means less product on the shelves for customers.  
Now, let’s talk about the beer shortages. Two of the biggest Mexican beer makers are still dealing with expansion problems from Covid-19 and government restrictions. Such problems included truck and driver shortages, wildly unpredictable consumer demand, massive disruption to the normal direction of sales, a shortage of aluminum cans and packaging materials, and severe shortfalls caused by orders from the Mexican government to shut down breweries from early April to early June.  

One thing that appears consistent across the country is that the hardest beers to buy rank among the most popular: Coors Light, Corona®, Modelo, and Dos Equis®, especially in less traditional package sizes. Even Budweiser is having some shortage issues as of late, as well as White Claw® Hard Seltzer.
With all that being said, now is a great time to visit The Bar on 22 and grab a growler of your favorite brew. A great selection of various beers can be found on tap in Green Brook and both locations feature tons of ice-cold beers in our brand-new cold boxes. Here at NJWineSeller, we are doing our very best to keep all of your favorites in stock despite certain shortages being out of our control. Stop by soon — we look forward to raising a glass with you!