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It’s five o’clock somewhere, and even if not, rules are stupid. There’s nothing like relaxing with an ice-cold cruiser, but what are you reaching for? Bud? Miller? Coor’s?
Coffeeness, a company that describes itself as "a comprehensive resource for coffee enthusiasts," put together some data about our beer preferences across the country. Are you in line with what the rest of your state drinks?
Here’s what they chose, based on Google Trends data across all 50 states and D.C.
Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Washington, D.C., West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
Woah. I suppose I occasionally see people drinking Miller, but this is a big surprise to me. thirty states prefer Miller to the rest of these beers? This makes sense in Wisconsin, where it’s brewed, but there must be a strong representation of the service industry to help fill this out, as Miller Lite is the unofficial beer of most line cooks and kitchen workers.
Arizona, California, Michigan, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia
As a Californian, I can confirm that Coors takes the cake here. There was nary a beer pong table I came across in college that wasn’t built on the back of Coor’s Light, and it remains on tap at just thousands of California sports bars. I also love that Coors is big on advertising how cold their beer is, as though that’s up to anybody but the person drinking it.
Georgia, New Jersey, South Carolina
As one of only a few international beers on the list, I’m surprised it’s this high. Everything else here is light, easy to drink, lager-y, or pilsner-esque. Then we’ve got the dark, malty sorcery of Guinness, which is an extremely different road to take. Fun fact: Did you know that the Guinness Brewery launched Guinness World Records to help settle pub arguments (and to promote the beer, of course)?
Florida, New York
Apparently, they’re only drinking those neon-green sticks of kryptonite on the east coast. It started in the 1800s in Amsterdam, so maybe in a few hundred years it will continue its migration across the country and end up in Oregon or something.
Illinois, Indiana
As one of the cheapest beers you can get, it’s interesting to see only two states claim it. This is heavily popular with the college crowd. Plus, it’s got its own amusement park.
Missouri, New Hampshire
The single most classic and iconic American beer only has two states laying claim? And New Hampshire is one of them? Wild.
North Carolina, Ohio
Interesting that Bud Light got its own category here. No other light beers did; is Coffeeness trying to steal votes from Budweiser by splitting them up? That is for you to speculate on, and me to suggest without any basis for why they’d do that.
Colorado
The citrusy hefeweizen known for its orange slice garnish only ended up in Colorado, for some reason. This is a Denver brewery, so this makes sense, but no love for Coor’s? No love for Sam Elliott’s voice in those commercials telling us that it’s brewed in Golden, Colorado? Guess not.
Connecticut
Love those vacation vibes, Connecticut. You do you, my friends.
Still thirsty? Check out these cheap regional American beers that locals love.
