Americans drink 6.26 billion gallons of beer each year. We like our beer.
Among the hundreds of thousands of beer options to choose from, Michelob Ultra is the most popular in America, according to a new analysis by Innerbody. No surprise there, Michelob is crisp, easy to drink, and considered a premium light lager compared to domestic competitors.
However, when you look at beer from a state-by-state standpoint, the picture is much different. Innerbody conducted their research by looking at Google Trends and determining the most-searched beer in every state.
The analysis found a few commonalities. Lager dominates the charts, posting four of the top five spots. Also, dark beer is just not that popular compared to lighter options.
The Most Popular Beer in NJ
This is where New Jersey comes into the picture as an outlier. While lagers reign supreme in most of the country, the Garden State opts for something darker, creamier, and unapologetically Irish. That’s right, Guinness is New Jersey’s most popular beer, and it comes at a time when “The Black Stuff” is more popular than ever among Americans.
Guinness is gaining popularity everywhere, partially due to social media trends. Among these trends is something called “splitting the G,” which is a game where drinkers try to get their first sip of Guinness to “land” in the middle of the G on the pint glass.
And while search trends don’t necessarily equate to sales, it does help lay out which beers are dominating pop culture. Guinness’ popularity seems to be concentrated on the East Coast, with Connecticut, Maryland, and Rhode Island also searching for it more than any other option.
Notably, Massachusetts, which boasts a rich Irish culture, opts for Samuel Adams instead—a beer brewed directly within the state. Makes sense.
New Jersey’s love for Guinness doesn’t surprise me at all. It’s my beer of choice. It’s my friends’ beer of choice. And it’s the beer of choice for a majority of the patrons at my favorite bar (shout out Blarney Station Pub).
It’s beloved enough to land it a spot as the fifth most popular in America—one of only two imports in the top five, the other being Stella Artois.
Watch this space, though. It won’t shock me one bit if Guinness rises a few spots in next year’s analysis. I know I won’t stop splitting the G anytime soon.
Splitting the G
Peter Candia is the Food + Drink Editor at New Jersey Digest. A graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, Peter found a passion for writing midway through school and never looked back. He is a former line cook, server and bartender at top-rated restaurants in the tri-state area. In addition to food, Peter enjoys politics, music, sports and anything New Jersey.
