This Classic Beer Is Minnesota’s Favorite

Minnesota has no shortage of great breweries, so you might expect one of our homegrown craft beers to claim the title of the state’s favorite. And while a new survey does give that honor to a Minnesota beer, the answer might surprise you.

How Much Beer Do Minnesotans Drink?

According to recent estimates from Beer Info, the average resident over 21 here in Minnesota drinks roughly 28.5 gallons of beer every year. That's a little over 2.37 gallons, or roughly 25 bottles or cans of beer per month. While that might seem like a lot, it actually ranks Minnesota near the middle of the pack nationwide, where the average is about 28.2 gallons per person per year.

But, as we know, not all beers are created equal. And here in Minnesota, beer fans have been lucky to have access to a thriving craft beer industry that has produced some amazing craft beers over the years. However, those great beers-- like Summit, Surly, Bent Paddle, Lift Bridge, and many others here in Minnesota-- didn't top this new list from Food and Wine.

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What Is the Most Popular Beer in America?

They just reported that, according to a new analysis of Google search data by Innerbody, Michelob Ultra ranks as the most popular beer in the entire U.S. The report also names Bud Light, Stella Artois, Budweiser, and Guinness as the beers that round out the five most popular beer brands in the country.

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What Is Minnesota’s Favorite Beer?

The Food and Wine report also looked at which beer was the most popular in each state. And here in Minnesota, Food and Wine says our favorite brew is... Hamm's. I'm not sure I entirely buy that result, although it does make some sense, seeing as the Hamm's Brewery first opened here in the North Star State back in 1856 in St. Paul. Today, Hamm's is owned by the Molson Coors Company and is brewed at their brewery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Speaking of Wisconsin, the favorite beer over in America's Dairyland, according to Food and Wine, is Miller Lite, which was first brewed by Miller Brewing back in 1975. Down in Iowa, Food and Wine says the favorite beer is Busch Light, while Coors Light is the favorite beer in North Dakota, with Keystone Light taking the top spot in South Dakota.

Now, I'm certainly a fan of cracking open any of those fine beers-- I think that's because I'm a Wisconsin native who's pretty much never met a beer I didn't like-- but I also really enjoy a pint of one of our local craft beers as well. And if you do, too, keep scrolling to check out some of the best craft breweries here in southeast Minnesota!