Montana Misses Out on Top State for Most Beer Consumption

Here in Montana, we joke that "you can't throw a rock and not hit a church, a casino, or a brewery. They seem to be everywhere. Just about every town in Montana, regardless of size, has some sort of microbrewery. Each one represents the essence of the community it was built in. Almost resembling the classic pubs in the UK, and turning into unofficial meeting places for members of the community.

With how much we like beer here in Montana. It is no surprise that we rank high in the average consumption of beer in the US.

According to a recent study from Visual Capitalist, Montana ranks 2nd in the nation for average beer consumption per person. Losing only New Hampshire, which shares some of the same "beer culture" as we do here in Big Sky Country.

The study shows:

New Hampshire took the top spot, out drinking other states with 41.5 gallons of beer consumed annually per capita. In contrast, the lowest consuming state was Maryland which only consumed 19.7 gallons per capita, about half as much. Despite the growing trend of craft breweries in some states, the most popular beer across the country was Budweiser of Anheuser-Busch, which took the top spot in 23 states.

Montana came in a close second to NH, with some impressive stats:

• 41.1 gallons of beer drank per year/per person over 21
• 128 breweries in the state
• Beer of choice: Budweiser

Both Montana and New Hampshire choose Budweiser over the microbrews. But clearly, if it is cold and wet, we will probably drink it.

Now I'm thirsty!