The States Where Beer Drinkers Love IPA the Most [Map]

From West Coast to East Coast and everywhere in between, such has been the rise of the IPA that you could be forgiven for using it as a synonym for beer these days. And yet, while the style has become an absolute must for craft producers across the country, it turns out that not all states love IPA equally.

The international data and insights firm Nielsen shared stats with VinePair highlighting the popularity of the hoppy, often hazy brew from state to state. Given that popularity can be extremely subjective and hard to quantify, Nielsen took off- premise sales data for IPA in each state and converted it to a percentage share of all beer, cider, and flavored malt beverage (basically hard seltzer) sales in each respective region.

Collected during the 52 week period ending April 17, 2021, the results are particularly effective in gauging popularity, given that a vast majority of beer purchases took place in retail stores over this time because of pandemic-related shutdowns.

Unsurprisingly, the results show that thirst for IPA remains greatest in regions with strong brewing ties. The West Coast, Pacific Northwest, and New England, in particular, prove to be home to some of the most devoted IPA drinkers. Meanwhile, the South-Central U.S. appears to be much less interested in IPA, with drinkers in Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi perhaps turning instead to lagers or other lighter styles to quench their thirst.

To find out where your state ranks on the IPA appreciation scale, check out the full results in the map below.

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