This State Produces More Beer Than Any Other In The US

Producing beer in the United States is a national affair, with no state or region completely dominating the industry. Since the advent of the craft beer revolution, great breweries have popped up in every corner of the United States, with almost 10,000 breweries operating in the country as of 2023. That's up from only around 90 in the '70s, when macrobrews like Budweiser and Coors were at their most dominant. Anheuser-Busch and Molson Coors still rule beer production in the country, with both brands controlling a little more than half of the U.S. market. But, the states producing the most beer now have a balance between big breweries and small, and while the competition is tough, no state brews as much beer as Colorado.

Production of beer is measured using data from the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, which counts it in total barrels. According to the quarterly numbers from 2024, Colorado produced just over 18 million barrels of beer — the most of any other state. Coming in at number two was Ohio, which produced 17 million barrels, while the state of Texas was third at 14 million barrels. Surprisingly, some states known for big beer brands, like Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, didn't even make the top five. So how does Colorado produce so much beer? Because it's home to breweries from multiple big national brands and plenty of well-known micro and craft breweries.

Colorado used to be known as the home of Coors. But, Molson Coors — which also owns Miller, Foster's, and Blue Moon among other brands — moved its headquarters to Chicago, Illinois in 2023. However, Coors flagship brewery in Golden, Colorado is still active — and is actually the largest brewery in the United States. Coors is not alone there, either. Anheuser-Busch also has a major brewing facility in Fort Collins, Colorado. 

Not only do two of America's top five most popular beer brands call the Rockies home, but there are also many iconic Colorado craft beer brands. The state's largest craft brewery is actually Monster. The energy drink brand, purchased Colorado's Oskar Blues Brewery in 2022, which makes the popular Dale's Pale Ale. Other iconic Colorado craft beer names include Odell and Left Hand, which is known for its popular stout beer.

There are also the unique cases of Colorado craft beers that are now owned by larger conglomerates. The most well known is New Belgium, which still operates its brewery in Fort Collins, but was acquired by the Japanese brand Kirin in 2019. Colorado brand Avery was also sold to the Spanish Mahou Group, also known as the makers of San Miguel. Long story short, Colorado has a stake in every part of the beer market — big, medium, and small.