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· collected 2026-09-06 · by Teresa Mull
Wisconsin has been ranked as America's top beer-loving state for the second year in a row according to an analysis by Innerbody Research based on Google Trends search data. The Midwest region is considered "America's beer belt" with six states ranking among the nation's top 10 and every Midwestern state finishing in the top 20. According to the study, Kansas, Nebraska, and Iowa ranked third, fourth, and fifth respectively, while Wyoming came in second place for its search-interest score. The article also notes that regional loyalty remains strong, with specific beer brands dominating their respective regions due to historical factors.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-06,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Wisconsin has been named America's top beer-loving state for the second year in a row, based on Google Trends search data from consumer research firm Innerbody Research. The study found that the Midwest is often referred to as "America's beer belt" due to its strong affinity for beer, with six states including Kansas, Nebraska, and Iowa ranking among the top 10 in beer-related searches. Wisconsin has held this title for two consecutive years, followed by Wyoming in second place. According to Bart Watson of the Brewers Association, the Midwest's historic legacy of regional production and recent resurgence in craft brewing have contributed to its strong beer culture.
Written for “Beer Consumption Rankings” on 2026-09-07,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
This article does not take a side on a contested political
question, so it has no leaning score. That is an
answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly
or critically written without being left or right, and scoring it
anyway is how approval of a subject gets recorded as a political
position.
No political leaning scored for article 5155 · logged 2026-09-06
Beer has a storied history in the United States and was a common beverage in colonial America.
asserted
Beer → have → America
Its influence on the nation's culture remains strong – and a new study found which states appear to be most interested in beer.
asserted
states → remain → beer
"Wisconsin is still America's beer capital," reported consumer research firm Innerbody Research in the website's recently released analysis of a year's worth of Google Trends search data.
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Research → report → data
This marks the second year in a row the Badger State came out on top in the rankings.
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State → mark → rankings
Innerbody labeled the Midwest "America's beer belt," since "Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota and Missouri all rank among the nation's top 10," and "every Midwestern state finishes in the top 20."
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state → label → 20
"The Midwest is one of many regions with a deep historic beer culture tied to both a long legacy of regional production and reinvigorated by craft brewers in recent decades," Bart Watson, president and CEO of the Colorado-based Brewers Association, told Fox News Digital.
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Watson → tie → Digital
Wyoming came in second place for its search-interest score.
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Wyoming → come → score
Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa came in third, fourth and fifth, respectively.
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Kansas → come → ?
States along the Pacific coast showed lower beer-related search interest, according to the study.
uncertain
States → show → study
When it comes to specific brands, regional loyalty remains strong.
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loyalty → come → brands
"The local dominance of a beer brand is almost entirely driven by historic entry advantage," Jean-Pierre H. Dubé, a marketing professor at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, who has published research explaining the regional dominance of brands, told Fox News Digital.
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who → drive → Digital
"Miller dominates in Wisconsin because it was first to market there.
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it → dominate → Wisconsin
In contrast, Budweiser was first to market in St. Louis, where it also remains dominant.
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it → market → Louis
The prevalence of beer tastes in the Midwest reflects the fact that most of the world's largest brewers in the late 1800s were in the Midwest in St. Louis, Wisconsin and Chicago – but especially Wisconsin.
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most → reflect → Louis
"
Samuel Adams "launched in Boston and was arguably the first successful craft brewer to become a dominant brand and obtain national distribution," Dubé added.
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Dubé → launch → distribution
Michelob Ultra generated the most search interest among the beer brands analyzed and also came out on top in Alabama, Nevada and Oklahoma.
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Ultra → generate → Alabama
"One of beer's strengths is the many options for lower calories and ABV relative to other adult beverages," Watson said.
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Watson → say → beverages
"Light beers underline that quality and have been very popular ever since they were introduced.
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they → underline → quality
Along with other imported beers, Stella is "perceived as a premium beer in the U.S.," though that isn't its reputation in the brand's home market of Belgium, Dubé said.
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Dubé → import → Belgium
Dubé's studies have found that exposure to certain beers when consumers first reach legal drinking age influences what they prefer later in life.
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they → find → life
"Millennials in cities with few craft brands at 21 drink way more national-brand beer today – Bud and Miller – than millennials in cities with relatively more craft beer brands when they came of age," he said.
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he → drink → age
Beer Marketer Insights reported this year that Michelob Ultra had overtaken Bud Light and Modelo Especial to become the top-selling beer in the U.S. by volume.
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Ultra → report → volume
Sales and search aren't perfectly correlated, Watson said, and the Innerbody findings "signal something about new interest and brands as much as overall brand strength or sales.
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findings → correlate → strength
"
"A sales map would undoubtedly look very different," he said.
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he → look → ?
"At the end of the day, beer is supposed to be fun, so no one should take them too seriously, and they are best argued over with friends and family with a beer in hand."
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they → suppose → hand
