It’s no secret that craft beer’s popularity has grown in recent years. Breweries have been popping up in cities across the country as drinkers seek out a cold glass of IPA, stout, or pale ale. But where is the mecca of breweries? We analyzed data from more than 500 cities to find out which city has the most breweries per 50,000 people.
Whether you’re a Millennial, Baby Boomer or a Gen-Xer, craft beer fans alike might want to visit Portland, Maine. The city is just shy of 70,000 people, but it is home to the most craft breweries in America with 18 breweries per 50,000 people. Asheville, North Carolina and Bend, Oregon rank No. 2 and 3, respectively. Boulder, Colorado and Kalamazoo, Michigan round out the top 5 ranking at No. 4 and 5, respectively.
It’s also interesting to note that large cities like Chicago, New York and Los Angeles don’t appear on this list. In fact, the only cities with a population of 250,000 or more on the list include Denver, Madison, Portland and Cincinnati.
- Portland Maine – 18 breweries per every 50,000 people. Most popular brewery based on search volume – Bissell Brothers Brewing.
- Asheville North Carolina – 17 breweries per every 50,000 people. Most popular brewery based on search volume – Asheville Brewing Co.
- Bend Oregon – 16 breweries per every 50,000 people. Most popular brewery based on search volume – Deschutes Brewing.
- Boulder Colorado – 14 breweries per every 50,000 people. Most popular brewery based on search volume – Sanitas Brewing.
- Kalamazoo Michigan – 10 breweries per every 50,000 people. Most popular brewery based on search volume – Bell’s Brewery.
- Vista California – 10 breweries per every 50,000 people. Most popular brewery based on search volume – Indian Joe Brewing.
- Greenville South Carolina – 10 breweries per every 50,000 people. Most popular brewery based on search volume – Birds Fly South.
- Portland Oregon – 9 breweries per every 50,000 people. Most popular brewery based on search volume – Fire on The Mountain.
- Pensacola Florida – 9 breweries per every 50,000 people. Most popular brewery based on search volume – Gulf Coast Brewery.
- Missoula Montana – 8 breweries per every 50,000 people. Most popular brewery based on search volume – Big Sky Brewing.
- Fort Collins Colorado – 8 breweries per every 50,000 people. Most popular brewery based on search volume – New Belgium Brewing.
- Loveland Colorado – 7 breweries per every 50,000 people. Most popular brewery based on search volume – Loveland Aleworks.
- Grand Rapids Michigan – 7 breweries per every 50,000 people. Most popular brewery based on search volume – Brewery Vivant.
- Santa Cruz California – 7 breweries per every 50,000 people. Most popular brewery based on search volume – Seabright Brewery.
- Royal Oak Michigan – 7 breweries per every 50,000 people. Most popular brewery based on search volume – Royal Oak Brewery.
- Charleston South Carolina – 7 breweries per every 50,000 people. Most popular brewery based on search volume – Freehouse Brewery.
- Bellingham Washington – 7 breweries per every 50,000 people. Most popular brewery based on search volume – Wander Brewing.
- Denver Colorado – 6 breweries per every 50,000 people. Most popular brewery based on search volume – Breckenridge Brewery.
- Longmont Colorado – 6 breweries per every 50,000 people. Most popular brewery based on search volume – Wibby Brewing.
- Flagstaff Arizona – 6 breweries per every 50,000 people. Most popular brewery based on search volume – Beaver Street Brewery.
- Rochester New York – 6 breweries per every 50,000 people. Most popular brewery based on search volume – Three Heads Brewing.
- Madison Wisconsin – 6 breweries per every 50,000 people. Most popular brewery based on search volume – Ale Asylum.
- Yakima Washington – 6 breweries per every 50,000 people. Most popular brewery based on search volume – Tieton Cider Works.
- Lancaster Pennsylvania – 6 breweries per every 50,000 people. Most popular brewery based on search volume – Lancaster Brewing Co.
- Cincinnati Ohio – 6 breweries per every 50,000 people. Most popular brewery based on search volume – Rhinegeist.
Most Popular Craft Breweries
With so many options, how do craft beer drinkers choose which brewery to visit? Sure, you could try to visit them all, but you might end up with a pretty big headache the next morning if you did. To make things a little easier, we determined the most popular brewery in each city based on Google search data. In order to find the most up-to-date list of breweries within every city, we used brewery data from the BreweryDB database.
As craft beer continues to grow, it will be interesting to see how this list of cities changes in the coming years. Will Portland, Maine hold onto its thrown, or will another city claim the title of “craft beer capital of the U.S.?”
Methodology
How we ranked cities with the most breweries:
Using SteadyServ Technologies’ BreweryDB database, we analyzed the number of breweries in more than 500 cities across the U.S. From there, we ranked each city by the number of breweries per capita. For readability and comparison purposes, we calculated the number of breweries in each city per 50,000 residents.
How we determined the most popular breweries:
Using SteadyServ Technologies’ BreweryDB database, we compiled a list of every brewery in more than 500 cities across the U.S. From there, we analyzed Google search volume of those breweries within each city to determine the most popular brewery.
For more information go to C+R Research.