Missoula Cracks Top 15 Best U.S. Beer Drinker Cities

Hear ye, hear ye! Raise your glasses and toast our sensational suds-quaffing accomplishments on a nationwide scale.

In a recent study, our beer-study buddies at SmartAsset crunched the numbers to find the best deer drinkers and Missoula ranks in the top 25 spots. In recent years a craft beer revolution has created a national appreciation for good beer. Check this stat: according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the number of breweries grew from 880 in 2012 to 2,802 in 2016 (I swear at least 1,500 of those are in Missoula).

In order to find the best cities for beer drinkers, SmartAsset looked at data on 300 cities. The metrics used included:

>Total number of breweries

>Number of breweries per 100,000 residents

>Average number of beers per brewery

>Number of bars per 10,000 residents

>Average price for a pint

Obviously, a lot of data and methodology went into formulating these metrics, but you're busy having a beer and we didn't want to take up too much of your time. But here is just how awesome Missoula ranks among the best of the best!

1. Portland OR

2. Asheville NC

3. Portland ME

4. Cincinnati OH

5. Bend OR

6. Duluth MN

7. Denver CO

8. Seattle WA

9. Pittsburgh PA

10. Fort Collins CO

11. Denver CO

12. Green Bay WI

13. MISSOULA MT

14. San Francisco CA

15. Eugene OR

16. Madison WI

17. Charleston SC

18. Reno NV

19. Grand Rapids MI

20. Cleveland OH

21. Milwaukee WI

22. Syracuse NY

23. Indianapolis IN

24. Austin TX

25. Rochester NY

So here's to you, Missoula beer lovers. I'm sure many of you would say this comes as no surprise. May you enjoy a safe, sensible Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

DB