Liberty and beer for all

The Beer Institute’s annual report on U.S. beer consumption in 2012 found that beer was a $246.5 billion industry. The report also ranked the 50 states (plus the District of Columbia) by total shipments (each shipment comprises 31 gallons) of malt beverages, and per capita consumption. Interestingly, California received the most shipments of beer—22,317,858—but ranked 44th in per capita consumption at 25.5 gallons of beer per Californian. Here are the top five and bottom five states in terms of per capita consumption:

Top 5:

1. North Dakota

2. New Hampshire

3. Montana

4. South Dakota

5. Wisconsin

Bottom 5:

47. Maryland

48. New York

49. New Jersey

50. Connecticut

51. Utah