Which state drinks the most beer?
Per capita Americans consume roughly a six pack per week each but the highest consumption state drinks more than double what the lowest one does.
April 7 is National Beer Day in the United States. The annual event commemorates the date that FDR signed the Cullen-Harrison Act in 1933 marking the beginning of the end of Prohibition in the nation. It allowed Americans to legally purchase beer with 3.2% alcohol by volume and wine with similarly low alcohol content while they waited for the repeal of the 18th Amendment.
Nowadays, depending on where you live, you can enjoy a brew with much higher alcohol content from many of the over 9,700 brewers across the nation, or one that’s been imported. Consumption of beer had been generally declining since the early 1980s across the US until it began increasing again recently.
Which state drinks the most beer?
Americans consumed over 6.5 billion gallons of suds in 2021 according to data from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. The Beer Institute calculates that beer consumption in the US per adult age of 21 and over is roughly 28.2 gallons per year. That works out to about 10 ounces a day, a little less than a six pack each week.
But the amount consumed per capita in each state ranges from 20.2 gallons in Utah to more than double that amount in North Dakota at 45.8 gallons. Here are the states that drink the most and least according to the Beer Institute.
| Drink the most | Drink the least | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. | North Dakota New Hampshire Montana South Dakota Wisconsin Nevada Vermont Nebraska Texas Maine | 45.8 gallons 43.9 gallons 41.0 gallons 38.9 gallons 36.2 gallons 35.8 gallons 35.3 gallons 35.2 gallons 34.4 gallons 34.0 gallons | 42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50. 51. | Indiana Georgia California Washington Kentucky Maryland New York New Jersey Connecticut Utah | 25.9 gallons 25.7 gallons 25.5 gallons 24.8 gallons 24.4 gallons 24.2 gallons 22.4 gallons 22.4 gallons 22.1 gallons 20.2 gallons |
Which countries drink the most
According to the Beer Institute, the United States ranks #13 among the top 25 beer drinking countries. Here are the top five:
| 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. | Germany Ireland Czech Republic Australia Austria | 39 gallons/yr 36.5 gallons/yr 36.5 gallons/yr 31.4 gallons/yr 28.1 gallons/yr |
While for the beer industry April 7 commemorates the start of the end of the 13-year Prohibition experiment, not everyone hailed the end of forced sobriety. Some of them were people who had found solace in having less temptation around giving them a leg up on fighting their addiction to alcohol.
Since 1987, April has been Alcohol Awareness Month which was established by the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence. The month is dedicated to raising awareness and understanding about alcohol use disorder, reduce stigma and encourage responsible attitudes toward alcohol.