The state of Florida: Apparently we make a whole ton of beer, but don't drink too much of it in comparison to the rest of the nation.
This is based off of recently released data from the Beer Institute, a trade association and lobby for the malt beverage (beer) industry in America, which found that Florida ranks 3rd in the nation for total beer shipments over the year 2012, but 34th in annual beer consumption.
According to the data, breweries that are based or manufacture in the state of Florida shipped a total 12,881,385 31-gallon barrels of beer in 2012, making it one of the most beer-productive states in the nation behind Texas at number two (19,889,355 barrels) and California in the number one spot with 22,317,858 barrels shipped.
Florida didn't rank as high in the Beer Institute's measurement of beer consumption per capita coming in at 34th place with a yearly average of 27.4 gallons of beer consumed per person 21 and over living in the state. The top states in this category include Montana in third place with 41.0 gallons per person; New Hampshire in second with 43.9 gallons per person; and North Dakota in the top spot with an average 45.8 gallons of beer consumed over the year by the average person 21 and over in the state.
Nationally, beer consumption rose by 1.5 percent in 2012 according to the report. The Beer Institute partially cites a rebounding economy and above-normal winter and spring temperatures for the rise.
During the two weeks surrounding last year's Fourth of July, beer sales totaled $1.36 billion throughout the nation the Beer Institute reports.
