ST. LOUIS – Two of the country’s biggest beer brands are registering significant dips in sales that some are attributing to bad weather, among other factors. Advertising Age reports that marketers for MillerCoors, Heineken USA and Anheuser-Busch InBev are also saying payroll taxes, higher gasoline prices and rising interest in craft beer as contributing to the decline.

The beer business is down 2.8% for the four weeks through April 13, Beer Marketer’s INSIGHTS reported last week, citing Nielsen data. Miller Lite was down by 8.8% during the same time period, while Bud Light dropped by 6%, Budweiser dropped by 7.7%, and Coors Light declined by 1.8%.

“It's brutal out there for everyone,” said Beer Business Daily editor Harry Schuhmacher to subscribers this week. The only bright spot for beer is in craft beer, where sales have continued to advance.

With the spring so far being colder and wetter than usual, beer drinkers haven’t been consuming as much. “Light lagers [like Bud Light and Miller Lite] are more susceptible to unseasonably cold weather than either craft beer or spirits, which are typically imbibed more indoors,” said Schuhmacher.