Sales of Beer and Diet Soda Declining

Fell 2.3 percent between 2007 and 2012

Americans are drinking less beer and diet soda. Several well-known beer brands are far less popular than they were a few years ago. According to the industry journal Beer Marketer's Insights, beer sales declined 2.3 percent between 2007 and 2012. Some well-known brands have done far worse.

Sales of Michelob Light plunged nearly 70 percent while Bud Select's numbers declined more than 60 percent in the same five-year period. While beer sales have been slimming down, wine and spirits sales have done much better.

According to Wells Fargo research, sales of zero- and low-calorie soda fell nearly 7 percent over the past twelve months. For full-calorie sodas the decline has been just over 2 percent.