NEW YORK – U.S. beer sales declined in the four weeks ending April 13, with consumers switching from big name brands like Budweiser and Coors to Corona, Heineken and Sam Adams, Forbes.com reports.

According to UBS, off-premise beer sales dropped 4.2% during the period, with total dollar sales off 1.8%. The decline was accompanied by increased sales for Crown Imports, the joint venture between Grupo Modelo and Constellation Brands that distributes Corona, Heineken and Sam Adams brands. 

Anheuser-Busch sales dropped 4.6% with volume down 6.5% compared to 2012, and MillerCoors suffered a 3.5% decline in sales on a 4.9% fall in volume.

Sales in convenience stores declined 2.9%, compared to a 0.6% decline in the AOC channel (food, drug, mass merchandisers and Walmart). “Craft [beers] and imports skew far more heavily toward AOC channels,” UBS analysts explained.

Over a 12-month perspective, overall sales grew 3.1%, with small players outperforming their larger rivals: Anheuser and Miller grew sales 2.1% and 0.9% respectively, while Corona was up 7.8%, followed by Boston Beer/Sam Adams (6.7%) and Heineken (3.6%).