GOOGLE IT. Of the top beer producers, every state has its favorite. In Wisconsin, folks are most often on the hunt for Miller beer. (Statistics via Google Trends | Graphic via innerbody)

It’s no secret: Wisconsinites love beer. (Arguably, some of us love it too much, but that’s a different conversation.) That love has even been statistically proven, down to the most-bought brands of beer, brew styles, and how much beer is brewed by craft breweries and bigger producers right here in Wisconsin.

Based on Google Trends analytics from June 2023-2024, about 60% of Americans are on the hunt for American beers like Bud Light, Miller Lite, and Budweiser. The other 40% is split between Mexican-style beers, like Corona and Modelo, and Belgian-style beers. Surprisingly, though, the top go-to for Americans is an imported one: Corona.

The West Coast and southern states favor Mexican-style beers Modelo and Corona while the East Coast is into Boston-brewed Samuel Adams. The Midwest goes its own way, seeking Belgian-style brews most. Our neighbors in Minnesota sought out Blue Moon the most; Michigan and Iowa were on the lookout for Bud Light; and Illinois was busy hunting down Miller Light and Corona.

Wisconsin? Unsurprisingly, given the brewery’s Milwaukee roots, we’re an all-Miller state: Wisconsin’s top three beer searches were Miller Genuine Draft, Miller High Life, and Miller Lite.

But independent and craft brewers aren’t left out of the mix. The Brewers Association for Small & Independent Craft Brewers reported that Wisconsin is home to about 266 craft breweries – the 14th most in the country – and produced more than 770,000 barrels of craft beer in 2023. That breaks down to about five-and-a-half gallons drank by every 21+ adult in the state.

Zymurgy Brewing, Menomonie. (Photo by Timothy Mather)

And if you listen to the thousands of people who voted in the 2024 Best of the Chippewa Valley Readers Poll, the top three best local brews are as follows: The Brewing Projekt’s Gunpowder IPA; Lazy Monk Brewing’s Oktoberfest; and Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy.

According to the U.S. Tax and Trade Bureau, the U.S. was home to 14,597 approved breweries. Thirty years ago in 1983, there were just 49 breweries in the country. (Which means Wisconsin is home to more craft breweries today than the entire nation had breweries in the 1980s.)

In 2023, the U.S. produced more than 160 million barrels of beer (however, that’s the lowest its been since 1999). Today, the U.S. is still chugging along in beer production: As of June, more than 15 million beer barrels had been made – about 2.8 million of those from Wisconsin.