This Popular Light Beer Is Now The Best-Selling Brew In The Country
After a long day at work, many will argue one of the best ways to relax is with a frosty cold beer. But the beer most Americans are reaching for has changed. Michelob ULTRA, owned by brewing company Anheuser-Busch, has officially become the number one best-selling beer in the United States of America.
According to data from the marketing research firm Circana, Michelob ULTRA has been the top-selling beer in retail spaces for the last 52 weeks (ending on September 14). Meanwhile, Nielsen IQ, another trusted research firm, has confirmed that it's also been the top brew in bars and restaurants for just as long (as of July 12). Anheuser-Busch itself announced the news on September 22.
Michelob's record dethrones the previous top-selling beer, Modelo Especial, which hails from the beverage company Constellation Brands. Modelo took the top spot from Bud Light, another beer owned by Anheuser-Busch, in June 2023. Bud Light had previously held the title of America's best-selling brew for over 20 years.
How did Michelob ULTRA become America's best-selling beer?
The Chief Commercial Officer of Anheuser-Busch, Kyle Norrington, credits Michelob ULTRA's recent success to its extensive partnerships with the professional sports industry. Though it featured in one of the least-interesting commercials of the 2024 Super Bowl, ULTRA was the exclusive beer sponsor of Team USA in the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games and became the first-ever beer partner to the NBA in 2023.
In Norrington's words, "This approach has turned Michelob ULTRA into an absolute rocket ship, and we've got tremendous opportunity ahead of us." Anheuser-Busch is poised to continue ULTRA's strategy into the future, as it's also secured a spot as the exclusive beer sponsor for the 2026 Milano Cortina Games and is an official sponsor of the 2026 FIFA World Cup that will be held in the U.S.
ULTRA isn't the only Michelob brew to top the charts, either. Though it's not officially number one as of the time of writing, the non-alcoholic version, Michelob ULTRA Zero, released in January 2025, has been one of the best-selling alcohol-free beers for approximately the past nine months, according to Circana.