This is not a first-time nod but a repeat (if memory serves). New Hampshire has ranked number one in the United States for beer consumption (woo-hoo!).
Northeastern states, particularly New Hampshire (1.66 gallons) and Vermont (1.58 gallons) have some of the highest beer consumption rates in the country.
New Hampshire doesn’t have state sales tax, making alcohol prices considerably lower than neighboring states. This likely drives higher alcohol sales rather than necessarily higher consumption.
More than half of sales at New Hampshire liquor states come from out-of-state customers, according to the New Hampshire Liquor Commission.
Here are the top ten states based on per capita ethanol consumption.
The source cites a decline in sales for both mainstream and craft brew beer, which I would guess is a result of prices. Inflation is driving up the cost. Six-packs cost what twelve-packs used to cost, and even the pisswater brands are charging more than one might be willing to part given the torture required to consume them.
Yes, my favorite kind of beer is still a free one—it’d be rude to turn it down—but I’ve been avoiding Blight and the like for years. I am still doing my part to keep the Granite State atop the beer-swilling pile. I love beer, and I’m not alone. We are rich in microbreweries and brews. Abel Ebeneezer is a few miles up the road, and while their prices have risen, they are still worth the cost given the product (just not as often as I used to).
Decent beer can still be found at the supermarket for prices I’m still willing to pay (when on sale).
New Hampshire also ranks well (ironically) regarding healthcare outcomes, but those metrics are getting harder to glean. The sort of people who claim to report on such things focus less on actual health and more on systems (ideologically filtered). Partisan climate policies are weighed, for example, which (again, ironically) tend to do nothing while making other outcomes worse. The fortunes in taxpayer dollars being misdirected to these boondoggles and laundromats are (IMO) a net societal negative. We get a “less” that is less than less. The stated goal is a lie, as are cures that make necessities more expensive and less reliable (like electricity, heat, modernity).
It makes you want to drink a beer if you can afford one.
