Bend ranked top ‘Hidden Beer Gem’ in U.S.

Beer lovers looking to celebrate National Beer Day on Friday, April 7 should look no farther than Bend, Ore., according to data released Monday by the business data and analytics provider Infogroup that ranks Bend as the No. 1 “Hidden Beer Gem” in the U.S.

To determine the top U.S. cities for beer, Infogroup used its verified business database of more than 15 million records to identify which metro areas, regardless of population, are home to the most beer retailers and breweries, including craft and microbreweries. Once these factors were compiled, these cities were ranked by their concentration of beer-related businesses per 10,000 residents.

Using these indicators, Infogroup ranked the following as the top 10 beer cities:

Bend, Ore. Boulder, Colo. Asheville, N.C. Fort Collins, Colo. Niles-Benton Harbor, Mich. Great Falls, Mont. Burlington, Vt. Corvallis, Ore. Mansfield, Ohio Mount Vernon, Wash. With 1.54 beer-related businesses per capita, Bend, Ore. proved the most favorable U.S. city for beer lovers to celebrate National Beer Day. Oregon and Colorado, which have developed reputations as craft beer meccas, both boast two cities on the list.

The popularity of craft beer continues to increase. Recent data from the Brewers Association, a trade association for small and independent craft brewers, shows that craft beer accounts for 22 percent of the U.S. beer market. Production from small and craft production brewers increased 6 percent in 2016, for a total of 24.6 million barrels produced and $25.5 billion in sales.

“Using data to determine the top cities for beer is helpful for both consumers and businesses,” said Matt Graves, chief data officer at Infogroup. “Beer lovers can look to this data for recommendations on where to celebrate National Beer Day or plan their next vacation destination. Current and aspiring beer-related business owners, on the other hand, can gain stronger insight as to where the beer industry is thriving if they wish to open a new brewery. In these instances, knowing where both demand and supply are high is extremely beneficial.”

In a previous study, Infogroup analyzed top cities for beer but factored in population; only Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA) with populations of at least one million were included. According to Infogroup business data, Portland was the top city for beer-related businesses among the largest metro areas.

“We all know the major cities where the beer industry is thriving, like Portland or Seattle, but identifying these smaller cities opens a new demographic for business owners and marketers, especially those in the alcohol and beverage industries,” said Mike Iaccarino, chairman and CEO of Infogroup. “Regardless of industry, leveraging the right data and combining data sets to provide actionable insights can help marketers execute the most targeted campaigns.”

Infogroup’s U.S. verified database contains more than 15 million business records and its consumer database contains more than 245 million individual consumer records. To read more about Infogroup’s full Top 10 U.S. Beer Cities data study, click here.