Beer is one of the most popular alcoholic beverages in the United States, and as a result, there is a multitude of passionate, dedicated breweries working hard to produce beer throughout the US.
After examining the most relevant, available data from several different trusted sources, we found some fascinating statistics regarding beer production in the US. This includes the five states that have the most breweries and the five with the least. So let’s start on the right suds-producing foot and launch straight into the Top Five…Â
Beer Money – The States That Produce The Most (And the Lowest Amount) Of Beer
The Five States With The Most Breweries
- California
- Colorado
- New York
- Washington
- Pennsylvania
With an incredible 907 breweries, it’s no wonder that California topped the list. Home to stalwarts of the craft beer revolution, like The Bruery, Stone Brewing, and Lagunitas Brewing Company, California has developed a global reputation as the home of US craft beer.
Sierra Nevada is one of the most well-liked brands in California. First started by homebrewers in Chico (California), the brewery has become a firm favorite in its home state and abroad. . Firestone Walker 805 is one of the most popular beers in California, as the refreshing ale perfectly represents the laid-back atmosphere of the area.
Up next on the list is Colorado. Though it has fewer breweries than California, Colorado earned the second spot on this list primarily because of its impressive breweries per capita. With a population of approximately 5,922,618 people, Colorado has an eye-watering breweries per capita score.
New York. takes third place as it generates $5,715,492,246.00 from beer barrel sales per annum across the state, which means that there’s an exceedingly large audience of brewery fans in the Empire State, and the 423 breweries that call it home have their hands full making sure that they make enough beer to keep the natives happy.
The Brooklyn Brewery is probably the most famous in New York. Located in the atmospheric and vibrant area of Brooklyn, this brewery is a great place to experience the culture of the Big Apple. Some of the noteworthy breweries in this state include the Matt Brewing Company, Flying Bison Brewing Company, and Shmaltz Brewing Company.
These top five are completed by Washington and Pennsylvania, respectively.
Both of these states earned these positions because they scored highly on all beer-related fronts, including the number of breweries, the volume of beer consumed per capita, and the amount of revenue generated by beer sales in both states.
And In Last Place – The Five States With The Fewest Breweries
- Mississippi
- North Dakota
- Hawaii
- Delaware
- West Virginia
If there’s a top, there’s a bottom, which means it’s time to talk about the states with the fewest breweries. And Mississippi is at the top of the bottom of that list.
Home to just 14 breweries and a population of 2,960,075, it’s no wonder Mississippi performed so poorly, with just $189,165,228.00 made from barrels sold in Ole Miss. This may seem like a lot of money, but the truth is that this figure is significantly lower than the other states. This suggests that, as yet, the beer industry hasn’t found a foothold in Mississippi.
If you’re looking for a popular beer brand in Mississippi, then look no further than Blue Moon the Colorado wunderkinder that seem to have found its home away from home in the Magnolia state. And the favorite homegrown breweries in Mississippi are the Chandeleur Island Brewing Company and Lazy Magnolia Brewery.
The second worst state for breweries is North Dakota, which only has 22 breweries, even though the populace seems to be incredibly fond of New Glarus Brewing Company Spotted Cow, so be sure to keep an eye out for this farmhouse ale when in this state.
The bottom five states are finished by Hawaii, Delaware, and West Virginia, which came in at third, fourth, and fifth on this list, respectively. Even though Hawaii is home to the world-famous Kona Brewing Company, with only 24 breweries, it ended up in third place on the least brewery-friendly list.
How Did We Generate These Results?
How were we able to reach the conclusions that we did? The truth is that several essential factors were taken into account, including
- The number of breweries per capita: the more breweries per capita, the more brewery-friendly the state is. To calculate this figure, we took into consideration the number of breweries in each state and their populations.
- Beer consumed per capita per year (gallons): if the people of a state drink plenty of beer, this implies that they adore beer. Again, the population was an important factor when working out this index.
- Barrels produced per state: a substantial production of beer barrels indicates that a state has a passion for this alcoholic beverage.
- Dollars made from barrels per state: states that make a lot of money from beer, are obviously more passionate about it. As a result, states that made more money from selling beer placed highly on our list.
Find the full, and unabridged Beer Money data set here