Recent Survey of Drinkers Shows This is Indiana’s Favorite Beer

Beer, when enjoyed responsibly, of course, is a great way to unwind after a long day at work. It's often the centerpiece when getting together with friends and family, and it's a good go-to for relaxing on your patio on a warm, sunny, weekend afternoon. A popular drink of choice for many people for decades, the rise in popularity of craft beers over the past 10 to 15 years has given us hundreds if not thousands of varieties to choose from when we head to the liquor store or our favorite "watering hole." But apparently, there's one Indiana drinkers prefer more than any other when they belly up to the bar according to a new survey.

New Survey of Alcohol Drinkers Ranks Each State's Beer of Choice

Upgraded Points, a travel website dedicated to informing travelers about "the real value of points and miles, as well as upgrade their overall travel experiences," recently surveyed 2,200 drinkers across the country about their drinks of choice when they head out to a bar or restaurant. In addition to their preferred beer choice, the site asked them to name their preferred non-beer alcoholic drink, how much they're willing to spend for that drink, the type of establishment they prefer to have a drink at, and how much they tip their bartender. After the data was collected, they announced the results, and I have to admit, I'm a little surprised by the beer of choice here in Indiana.

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If a stranger were to come up and ask me which beer I thought was the most popular in Indiana, I wouldn't hesitate to say Busch Light. Here in southern Indiana where I live, I have more friends and family drink that more than anything else. Mainly because it's cheap and the flavor isn't too bad. Outside of that, Bud Light. Budweiser, Miller Lite, and Coors Light all have pretty sizeable fan bases around here too. However, none of them are considered the preferred beer of choice by this survey. That honor apparently goes to —

Don't get me wrong, Blue Moon is a fine beer and one I'll enjoy every once in a while, but I would have never guessed it was the top choice for the entire state. But then again, I'm only familiar with the choices here in the southern part. Apparently, more people are drinking it the farther north you go.

As for the non-beer alcoholic drink we prefer, that honor goes to the cocktail with the mojito being the top choice there, and the most we're willing to pay for it is just under $12. When we decide to go out and have a drink, we prefer hitting a brewery, and when it comes to tipping our bartenders, we're pretty generous with 16% of us leaving an average tip of 25%, or more, third-best in the country.

Kentucky and Illinois Preferences

When it comes to our friends in Kentucky, America's oldest brewery, Yuengling is the beer of choice (mine too), while they prefer mixed drinks when it comes to their non-beer choice with their go-to being an Old Fashioned which makes sense since they're essentially "bourbon country." Kentuckians prefer to enjoy their drinks at a music venue, which I assume means any bar with a live band, and they're the best tippers in the country with 22% forking over an average tip of 25% or more.

Our neighbors to the west in Illinois also ask for Blue Moon when they're in the mood for a beer and prefer cocktails when they want to change things up with margaritas being the top choice there. Dive bars are their location of choice, and they tip their bartenders an average of 20%.

You can see the full results of the survey on the Upgraded Points website.

[Source: Upgraded Points]