Is Wisconsin Losing Its Taste for Beer?

(Milwaukee)--This story is almost hard to believe. According to Beer Marketer's Insights, a leading industry analyst, Wisconsin beer consumption has dropped by nearly 10 percent since 2002. However, this doesn't necessarily mean folks are putting down their steins entirely. There seems to be a real taste for craft beers.

Wisconsin reportedly is sixth in the nation when it comes to overall beer sales. Per capita, we drink a bit more than 3 gallons a year. Mike Brenner lives and breathes beer. He's a few weeks away from opening the doors to his new $2 million business, Brenner Brewing company in Walker's Point. And you might say the timing of this works out well with the news there's a growing trend for craft beers.

It seems the big brewing companies are taking note of what the overall market is telling them, including Millercoors. In the last five years, it created a division solely dedicated to crafts and imports. So perhaps the old adage \"if you can't beat them, join them\" works in this case. And regardless of our taste bud trends, one thing is a constant and always will be. Beer is a badger state staple.

According to one report, Wisconsinites have also acquired a real taste for wine. Vino intake in the last ten years has increased a whopping 31%!