BEER: Would it surprise you to know Pennsylvanians drink enough beer to fill 367 Olympic-sized swimming pools over the festive season?

A study by PRPioneer.com, a site dedicated to public relations news and advice, found that Pennsylvanians drink a lot of hops for the holidays.

While Christmas booze is traditionally associated with cocktails such as Eggnogs, Hot Buttered Rums, Hot Toddys and Wassails, it is often underplayed how much beer we drink in the lead up to New Year’s Eve.

According to a recent poll, nearly 2 in 3 adults drink alcohol and more specifically, most prefer to drink beer over other booze (42%). It appears therefore that beer is indeed a festive drink; new releases of Christmas beers are often a highlight of the festive season for many aficionados. Seasonal brews often include complex artisanal ales, accented with Christmas flavors, fruitiness and spices.

Though it is no surprise that so many like to drink over the festive season, the sheer quantity of beer consumed identified in the study is astonishing. PRPioneer analyzed data showing how many gallons of beer are consumed year-round in each state. They then ran their own survey of 5,436 respondents to establish what proportion of their yearly beer consumption happens over the festive period (from Thanksgiving through to New Year’s Eve). The resulting figure was used to divide into the number of gallons in an Olympic-sized swimming pool (660,000).

By state, Pennsylvania placed 24th. Montana came in first, followed by South Dakota, Missouri, Alabama and Mississippi.

Interestingly, Pennsylvania ranks number 2 in the U.S. for barrels of beer produced, at 3.6 million.

———

TODAY: Today is National Hot Cocoa Day. Break out the tasty beverage to keep you warm and don’t forget to share with a friend.