Take A Look At How Much Beer Illinois And The Midwest Drink

The past couple of years of the pandemic have absolutely sucked for most people and businesses, but not all. Household cleaners (including hand soaps and hand sanitizers), toilet paper and paper towels, and pasta saw big sales increases during the pandemic, and so did beer.

The sales of beer have increased since the start of the pandemic by nearly 9%, making brewing a $94.1 billion industry. Which led me to wonder just how much beer we're pounding here in Illinois along with the rest of the Midwest.

Are we even in the same ballpark as Wisconsin when it comes to beer consumption?

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Bottom Line: Yes, We Drink A Lot Of Beer Here In Illinois, No We're Not Even Close To Matching The Elbow-Bending Going On Behind The Cheddar Curtain

Thanks to a great piece and infographic on beer consumption in the United States at VisualCapitalist.com, we get to learn a great deal about the whys and wherefores of Americans who love to drink beer.

First, we learn that New Hampshire, of all places, leads the entire nation in gallons of beer consumed at 41.5 gallons per capita. Maryland brings up the nation's rear with 19.7 gallons per capita.

Need a ride home after a night out? Call a Marylander.

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Here Are Some Of Illinois' And Wisconsin's Beer Drinking Numbers, With Some Of Our Midwestern Neighbors Thrown In For Comparison

According to the VisualCapitalist.com piece, Illinois residents drank about 25.9 gallons per capita. We have just over 400 breweries in the state, and Goose Island is our most-consumed beer.

Wisconsin beer lovers just go at it harder than we do here in Illinois.

Wisconsin residents drank 33.7 gallons of beer per capita, with a few less breweries (365 to Illinois' 405). Wisconsin's most consumed beer, according to Visual Capitalist, is Spotted Cow.

As for our neighboring states,