Beer sales are slipping, and millennials are to blame.

Drinkers picked beer less than half of the time when deciding on an alcoholic beverage in 2017, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing the trade group Beer Institute. With beer being picked just 49.7% of the time, the beverage has taken a significant tumble from 60.8% in the mid-1990s.

Some of the most iconic beer brands in the United States are being hit hardest by the shift.

Molson Coors reported on Wednesday that sales decreased for the fourth straight quarter, with Coors Light’s decline contributing to the slump. The volume of Heineken sold in the US declined in the high-single digits in the first half of the year, the company announced on Monday. AB InBev reported last week that US revenues dropped 3.1% in the second quarter, with Budweiser and Bud Light continuing to lose market share.

Millennials have created a boozy crisis

Searching for a saviour

Canopy Growth Constellation Brands acquired a stake in Canopy Growth last year.

With some of the biggest names in beer taking a tumble, beer giants are looking for creative solutions to boost sales.

AB InBev announced last week it would create an executive role to head up its nonalcoholic-beverages business and accelerate growth. Nonalcoholic drinks make up more than 10% of the company’s sales by volume, with AB InBev planning to grow that figure to 20% by 2025.

Molson Coors, meanwhile, is taking a slightly different approach to nonalcoholic beverages. The company announced plans to enter into a joint venture with The Hydropothecary Corporation to produce non-alcoholic, cannabis-infused beverages this week.

The move follows Corona parent company Constellation Brands acquiring a 9.9% stake in Canadian marijuana producer Canopy Growth for $US191 million in October 2017.

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