Tim Boring

LANSING – Alcoholic beverage consumption rates have reached record lows in the United States, according to a Gallup poll.

In 2025, only 54% of U.S. adults reported that they drink alcohol, an 8% decrease since 2023.

With alcohol consumption rates dropping, there are questions about how to keep Michigan’s beer, wine and cider industries on the rise because they play a major role in the state’s tourism industry and economy.

Tim Boring, the director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said new health trends are one factor contributing to the alcohol consumption decrease.

“Health is being discussed in new and different ways, especially at a national level,” Boring said.

But he said alcoholic beverage businesses will continue to tailor their products to what buyers want.

“That whole industry continues to change and evolve. We’ve got a lot of producers that are really attuned to what their clients are interested in,” Boring said.

Tim Boring is the director of the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. Credit: Department of Agriculture and Rural Development

Jennelle Jagmin, the director of the Michigan Craft Beverage Council, said the industry is strong and resilient despite the drop in alcohol consumption.

“Our craft beverage industry is always responding to consumer changes,” Jagmin said. “Part of its strength is its ability to be flexible and meet the consumer where they are.”

Jagmin said she has started to see several craft beverage companies expand into nonalcoholic beverages like mocktails.

Jennelle Jagmin is the director of the Michigan Craft Beverage Council. Credit: Michigan Craft Beverage Council

Boring said Gov. Gretchen Whitmer recently allocated a seat on the beverage council board for a representative of nonalcoholic beverages.

Jagmin said that craft beverage companies are part of the state’s fabric.

“You drive anywhere in the state and you’re going to pass the barley fields or cornfields or wheat fields and vineyards,” Jagmin said. “These are businesses that are important to tourism economies and supply chains across the board.”

Last year the combined economic impact for beer, wine, cider and spirits made in the state was more than $7.3 billion. The industry brought in $892.6 million in tourism expenditures, according to the beverage council.

Jagmin said the council runs a research and education grant program to keep the industry strong.

The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development recently awarded 15 research and education grants worth $439,460.

Among them were research projects to use artificial intelligence to detect mildew in vineyards and to study ways to prevent winter damage to barley crops used to make beer.