Popular Boomer Beer Brands That Millennials Avoid

There are beer lovers and then there are beer lovers. And if you love beer, you have your favorites and there is no denying which ones you think reign supreme. However, beer has come a long way from the early days of Budweiser and Coors and there is no denying that there is a sub-culture around the creation and enjoyment of beer.

Yet, even though across many generations there is a shared appreciation for the yeasty lager, different generations have a different take on what is great and what is perhaps, sub-par. There has been a generational divide among consumers among what beer brands and even which types of alcohol are most popular. Wines, hard seltzers, and ciders all provide some tough competition for the alcohol market.

With data gathered from YouGov, one can compare the beer brands that are most popular among Boomers versus Millenials, and the results may surprise you.

It should be noted that according to Brittanica, Baby Boomers are classified as the generation born post World War II, between 1946 and 1964, when there was a surge in births with a huge increase in population. Millennials are considered anyone born between 1981 and 1996. (Between Baby Boomers and Millenials, there was Generation X, born between 1965 and 1980.) So, let's take a look at how these generational gaps change beer preferences.

Baby Boomer Beer Favorites

Guinness

This iconic Irish dry stout ranks #1 among Baby Boomers. Brewed since 1759, Guinness is made with roasted and malted barley, yeast, hops, and water. There is no caffeine, but it does have notes of rich chocolate and delicious coffee. Among Baby Boomers, this is a top beer with a 49% popularity rating and a 96% fame rating. These numbers come from a poll conducted in 2023, of people with a positive opinion of these beer brands. For the sake of the data, age was a factor which is how this list is sorted.

Samuel Adams

Next up we have Samuel Adams, named for the U.S. founding father who actually owned a brewery himself. The beer company has a variety of flavors and options including Lagers, seasonal varieties, and specialty brews. In terms of Baby Boomers, this beer has a 46% popularity rating and a 95% fame rating.

Coors

You may recognize Coors with its 99% fame rating and among Baby Boomers, it has a 43% popularity rating. Its full name is Coors Banquet and it is known for a unique banana flavoring that happens during the fermentation process. Compared to the Baby Boomer preferences, this beer is ranked much lower on the Millenials list (all the way at #31)!

Miller

And there then is Miller which comes in quite a few varieties. Miller High Life, which was founded in 1855, opened its first store in 1903. Its recipe includes malted barley, Pacific Northwest hops, and Miller yeast. YouGov reports a 38% popularity rating and a 97% fame rating among Baby Boomers.

Michelob Light

Lastly, a Boomer favorite and low on the list of Millennial preferences, we have the Michelob Light. While there are other options from this beer brand including the Michelob Ultra, the Light is a Lager-beer brewed in Saint Louis, Missouri. It has a 38% popularity rating and a 98% fame rating on YouGov

Millennial Alcohol Preferences

Now that you know some of the top beer brands that Boomers love, let's look at the beer and hard alcohol options that Millenials prefer instead:

Modelo

This is a Mexican beer that has an array of unique flavors. Try Modelo‘s piña picante, naranja picosa, limon y sal, sandía picante, mango chile. Brew variations include Modelo Especial, Modelo Negra, and Modelo Chelada. Modelo has been brewed since 1925, and today rates at 59% popularity among Millenials.

White Claw

While not a beer, White Claw ranks high on the Millenial list of preferred alcohols with a 56% popularity rating. White Claw is known for its tasty hard seltzers with flavors like black cherry, mango, watermelon, lime, raspberry, tangerine, passion fruit, and more. They also have Triple Wave Filtered ™ Vodka as well as vodka soda drinks. Hard seltzers really do provide quite the competition in the beer market.

Stella Artois

This variety is a Belgian Lager that has been brewed for close to 600 years. While the process has changed, Stella Artois remains popular with a 55% popularity rating among Millennial beer drinkers.

Between Baby Boomers and Millenials, there are a few list crossovers including Heineken and Corona, both of which have a 48% popularity rating among Baby Boomers. Heineken tops the YouGov list for Millenials with a 60% popularity rating, while Corona sits at 59% popularity among the Millenials, with Corona Extra and Corona Light both ranked at 58%.

Guinness has a 55% rating among Millenials but it is still only ranked #7 on the Millenial list for beer preferences, compared to being first in terms of preferences for Baby Boomer beer drinkers.

The image featured at the top of this post is ©Nicolas Micolani/iStock via Getty Images.