The United States of beer: the ultimate Bud Light vs. Blue Moon showdown

This map of a nonscientific survey of 5,249 Americans shows that the nation's favorite beers are a patchwork of both history and innovation: from Yuengling — the oldest operating brewery in America — to the Colorado-based Blue Moon Brewing Company, which has only been making its Belgian-style wheat beers since 1995.

Blowfish

Although this map might make it seem that the country has gone completely gaga for Blue Moon, it's important to keep in mind that some states have more people than others. California alone has about as many residents as the western Blue Moon region combined (Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Nebraska, and Minnesota). Texas' Bud Light pulls a lot of weight, too. (Also, people's favorite beers may not be the beers they drink most often.)

Check out 40 maps that explain food in America.

Will you support Vox’s explanatory journalism?

Most news outlets make their money through advertising or subscriptions. But when it comes to what we’re trying to do at Vox, there are a couple reasons that we can't rely only on ads and subscriptions to keep the lights on.

First, advertising dollars go up and down with the economy. We often only know a few months out what our advertising revenue will be, which makes it hard to plan ahead.

Second, we’re not in the subscriptions business. Vox is here to help everyone understand the complex issues shaping the world — not just the people who can afford to pay for a subscription. We believe that’s an important part of building a more equal society. We can’t do that if we have a paywall.

That’s why we also turn to you, our readers, to help us keep Vox free. If you also believe that everyone deserves access to trusted high-quality information, will you make a gift to Vox today?

One-Time Monthly Annual

$5/month

$10/month

$25/month

$50/month

Other

$

Yes, I'll give $5/month

Yes, I'll give $5/month

We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. You can also contribute via