Favorite Beers to Drink in Missouri

Missouri ranks among the best states for beer lovers, according to a study. That’s not a surprise, since the state is the home of Anheuser-Busch, creator of the first national beer brand – Budweiser.

Lagers, stouts, ales, porters – Missouri has no shortage of selection. One of the big developments over the past decade or so has been the rise of craft breweries across the country, taking on the big monolithic breweries. Missouri is home to more than 80 craft breweries, experimenting with new flavors and blends, brewmasters creating German-style lagers for the fall and winter, wheat beers for the warmer, summer months, IPAs, stouts and pilsners. 

With craft breweries, people like the smaller, boutique experience, the focus on locally sourced ingredients, the high-quality ingredients and unique brewing techniques. Plus since many are small, independently owned businesses, people just want to support the “little guy” – it feels more meaningful. 

With National Beer Day arriving on April 7, we decided to take a break from Missouri sportsbooks to look at the best states to celebrate in if you are a big fan of beer. When it comes to determining the best, we looked quality, quantity and affordability.

Best States For Beer Lovers

How The Rankings Shook Out

BetMissouri utilized three combined data points to develop the ranking of the 50 states from best to worst for beer lovers.

We utilized BeerAdvocate.com to get the average rating of beers brewed in the state (ratings given out of 5), BrewersAssociation.org to get the amount of breweries per capita (per 100,000 residents) and MakeBeerEasy.com for the average price of a 24-pack per state.

Once acquiring that information, we averaged out the ranking of the states to get our final rankings.

Michigan ranked No. 1 on the list – No. 11 in quality ranking, No. 13 in quantity ranking, No. 6 in affordability ranking, for a total average of 10. Iowa was next, at 2, 19, 15, respectively, for a total average of 12. Then there’s Illinois (7, 32, 1, 13.3), Colorado (15, 6, 21, 14) and then Missouri (4, 28, 12, 14.6) to round out the Top 5. 

New York and Indiana are tied for sixth, then Rhode Island, tied with North Carolina, followed by Minnesota in the 10th spot.

There will be plenty of events and happenings in your area of the country on April 7, so get out and partake. Beer also has a huge cultural significance. Maybe not as big as places like Germany, where beer is intertwined with the national identity and events like Oktoberfest draw millions to the country every year. But craft breweries for one have become a significant cultural force on their own, a great way for people to connect with their communities. If Missouri legalizes betting by October, you can expect to see MIssouri sportsbook promos available for bettors in the state.

National Beer Day celebrates the day in 1933 when the Cullen-Harrison act was signed into law, which reversed the prohibition on the selling of beer in the U.S. A Virginian man named Justin Smith created his own unofficial National Beer Day in 2009, and since then it has been recognized by the state of Virginia as an official day of celebration, unofficially by beer aficionados across the US.