Merican Light Beer Taps Into Category’s Popularity in the Southeast via Empire

Dear Client: Merican Light Beer, an American Light Beer piloted in NorCal the past couple years, is expanding to the Southeast, hitting North Carolina and Tennessee via Empire Distributing, the company announced today.  For the unfamiliar, Merican is a 4.2% ABV American light lager that taps into the growing “personality lager” space led by players like Garage Beer. It launched in NorCal in 2024, growing 15% in 2025, “with momentum accelerating into 2026 as Q1 volume increased 114%” vs. YA,