If you're celebrating the Fourth of July with a beer in hand, you're not alone. A new ranking released today by the Beer Institute places Florida at number three nationwide in beer consumption.
California and Texas ranked higher.
Almost 13 million barrels of beer were shipped to Florida last year. Even though Florida might have chugged the third most barrels of beer, it ranked 34th in consumption per capita.
Nationally, beer sales were the highest in the two weeks around the Fourth of July in 2012.
Beer Institute President Joe McClain says drinking a bottle quenches more than just thirst.
"It's just a great story for beer because it's such an economic engine" he said. "When people enjoy a cold one, they really help to drive the economy."
A separate report in January, from the National Beer Wholesalers Association, stated that Florida's beer distributors have an economic impact of more than $3.2 billion.
"Being ranked number three just shows that it is a great market for beer and Florida is doing more than its fair share in helping drive the beer industry," said McClain.
Here are the top five states that have the highest beer consumption:
- California
- Texas
- Florida
- New York
- Pennsylvania
