Group of happy friends drinking beer and toasting in brewery bar restaurant – friendship concept with young people having fun together in cool vintage pub – focus on the right pint glass – high iso image
The craft beer industry in the US has been growing rapidly for several years now. It seems like there’s a new brewery opening every time, as the industry grossed over $27.6 billion in 2018 alone . But what are the most popular breweries in the US?
We wanted to know the answer to that question. Our team of researchers pulled data on every craft brewery in the US and looked at four factors to determine the most popular: number of Facebook followers, number of Instagram followers, Yelp score, and number of Yelp reviews. After analyzing the data, we discovered the top 150 most popular breweries in the US, as well as the most popular brewery in each state.
Read on to learn our full findings and methodology.
Top 150 Most Popular Breweries in America
In the top spot is New Belgium Brewing Company. Founded in Colorado in 1991 , this craft brewing company is now not only nationally distributed, but is one of the largest craft breweries in the country. Their two signature beers are Fat Tire and Voodoo Ranger IPA. The second most popular brewery is Boston Beer Company. The brewery was founded in 1984 and their signature beer is Samuel Adams Lager. In 2012 the company launched the Angry Orchard brand, a hard cider.
The top five includes Goose Island Brewery, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, and Dogfish Head Craft Brewery. All three are pioneers in the craft brewery industry, helping to promote craft beer not only in their respective states but throughout the US.
While only one brewing company can claim the top spot, getting into the top 150 is no small feat. Our study analyzed data from more than 2,200 brewing companies across the country, and the figures above are top of the list.
The most popular brewery in each state
In addition to comparing breweries across the country, we also wanted to see which breweries were most popular in each state. For this part of the study, we only compared data for breweries in our respective states.
The map above shows which breweries are the most popular in each state — which ones take the top spot.
The Top 5 Most Popular Breweries in Each State
Click on a state to see the top five wineries Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
Craft beer is more popular than ever in the US and there are no signs of that slowing down. Breweries have become more than just a place to drink a pint , but a place to grab a bite to eat, hang out with friends, and maybe even bring the family (and dog) along. Our study revealed the most popular breweries in the US and in every state. These breweries are favorites of many on a national and regional level and have had a significant impact on the brewing scene. Cheers!
Methodology
Our study analyzed every craft brewery in the US on four factors: number of Facebook followers, number of Instagram followers, number of Yelp reviews, and average Yelp rating. We compared data on those factors against other breweries using a weighted scale with a total possible score of 50.