A recent analysis ranked the states most interested in beer and identified the most popular beer in each state after analyzing 12 months of Google Trends data across all 50 states and Washington, D.C.
Wisconsin topped the rankings, while Midwestern states dominated the list, accounting for seven of the top 10 states most interested in beer, according to the report from Innerbody Research. The analysis also identified the states with the lowest search interest in beer.
New York? It lands somewhere in the middle.
The analysis found that familiar brands often rise to the top. Stella Artois was the most popular beer in 12 states and Washington, D.C., including New York. Meanwhile, some beers with strong followings in New York, including Brooklyn Lager,
Saranac and Genesee, did not make Innerbody's list of 36 prominent beers analyzed.
Here's what to know:
Where does New York rank?
New York ranked 36th among the 50 states and Washington, D.C., with a search interest index of 37.13, according to the report.
Neighboring Pennsylvania ranked much higher, coming in at No. 7 with a search interest score of 72.92 — nearly twice New York's score. Pennsylvania is also home to Yuengling, America's oldest operating brewery, which has been making beer since 1829, according to the report.
What's New York's favorite beer?
Belgian lager Stella Artois ranked first in 12 jurisdictions, including New York.
Stella Artois was not the most popular beer nationally, however. That distinction went to Michelob Ultra, which ranked No. 1 overall and topped the list in three states: Alabama, Nevada and Oklahoma.
Rather than dominating a single region, Michelob Ultra's popularity was spread broadly across the country, according to the analysis.
The least popular beer among the 36 brands analyzed was Milwaukee's Best.
Which states love beer the most?
Wisconsin topped the list for the second consecutive year, with a search interest index of 98.53.
The Midwest dominated the top 10, with seven states from the region making the list. Innerbody attributed the region's strong beer culture in part to its German brewing heritage and long history of breweries, taverns and beer halls.
Here's the top 10:
- Wisconsin — 98.53
- Wyoming — 86.54
- Kansas — 82.40
- Nebraska — 81.77
- Iowa — 76.37
- New Hampshire — 74.25
- Pennsylvania — 72.92
- North Dakota — 71.75
- South Dakota — 70.54
- Missouri — 67.79
Which states are least interested in beer?
Alaska had the lowest beer search interest, followed by Utah and Georgia.
Innerbody cautioned that low search interest does not necessarily mean those states lack a beer culture. The analysis focused on 36 prominent national and international brands, meaning states with large craft beer scenes and many local labels may have had their interest spread across brands that weren't included in the study.
The 10 states with the lowest search interest were:
- Alaska — 4.41
- Utah — 15.41
- Georgia — 18.56
- Washington — 25.20
- Mississippi — 26.16
- California — 26.19
- Virginia — 26.69
- Maryland — 26.93
- Oregon — 28.00
- Hawaii — 28.53
How was the ranking determined?
Innerbody Research analyzed Google Trends search data across all 50 states and Washington, D.C., over a 12-month period.
The company first identified a broad list of prominent beers based on national search volume, then narrowed the list to 36 beers using Google Trends data. It then analyzed regional search patterns and applied proportional weighting based on cumulative search volumes.
The resulting search-interest scores were used to rank the states and the beers by popularity.
Innerbody said the research was intended to explore America's beer preferences and identify regional patterns in the country's beer culture.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: New York's favorite beer revealed. See which brand topped the list
