Given that Missouri surpasses Colorado in beer drinking per person, what will happen as more Rocky Mountain drinkers use legal marijuana?
With vast inebriation industries in play, the Beer Institute reports that in 2012 Missouri ranked number 18 in state beer consumption.
Missouri residents 21 and older drank a per capita 31 gallons that year – way up from 22.4 gallons in 2011. That came in a year when national beer consumption increased after three years of relative flatness. It jumped from 20.5 gallons per person in 2011 to 28.2 in 2012.
Colorado beer drinkers in 2012 consumed 30 gallons per person and ranked 24th among the states. (Number one was North Dakota with 48.5 gallons per person. Kansas was number 31 at a mere 28.3 gallons per person.)
The numbers are based on shipments of beer and may undercount local craft beers, experts say. But Kansas City seems to be doing well in that category as well. KC Beer blog recently called 2013 “The Year of Beer” because the city is adding so many local breweries. But they also report that Denver has 62 breweries compared to what will be 16 in Kansas City.
No numbers yet on marijuana use since it became legal in Colorado at the start of the month.
Will pot smokers want beer with munchies? Will they drink far less? Will Denver get more craft breweries or lose some of those they have?
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