Molson Coors’ big brands are leading the way in 2021.

Strong performances by Coors Light, Miller Lite and Blue Moon have helped elevate Molson Coors as the No. 2 share-gainer in the on-premise so far in 2021, according to data from Fintech and the National Beer Wholesalers Association.

The company this year has picked up 0.6 points of share in the channel, boosting its total share to 24.5%.  

Coors Light, meanwhile, has picked up the third-most share in cans in the channel, growing a half a share point to 7.9%, the Fintech and NBWA data show. 

Leading the charge in draft sales for Molson Coors are Miller Lite and Blue Moon Belgian White, which rank as the No. 1 and No. 3 share-gainers this year, respectively. 

The share gains for Molson Coors come after a pandemic-plagued 2020, which resulted in widespread closures and a sharp decline in beer sales in U.S. bars and restaurants. 

But today, the channel is almost back to 2019 volume levels after a strong Thanksgiving holiday. And Molson Coors’ and other large brewers’ big brands have emerged as the biggest winners.

“As we saw during the height of the pandemic, consumers are going back to tried-and-trusted brands, and that has maintained into 2021,” says Hilary Jamieson, director of shopper marketing at Molson Coors. “The other insight that hasn’t changed is that consumers continue to look for value. They’re not looking for the cheapest products, but they don’t want to be ripped off, either.”

“All of the above-the-line support for brands like Coors Light, Miller Lite and Blue Moon have certainly helped generate awareness and resonate with consumers,” Jamieson says. “The programming our marketing teams have put together to bring Miller Time and Made to Chill to life is working.”

That’s helped catapult Miller Lite to the top share-gainer in draft beer this year, picking up 1.5 points of share to command a 10% total share. That’s up from 8.5% in 2020 and 8.8% in 2019. Coors Light, meanwhile, has surged in cans, picking up 0.5 points of share in the on-premise, eclipsing its 2020 and 2019 share.