Cheers! Michigan has the cheapest cases of beer in America, study says

Brian Manzullo | Detroit Free Press

We already know Michigan has outstanding beer.

But does it have cheap beer?

Yes. The cheapest case of beer in the country, according to one study.

The team at Simple Thrifty Living put together a study that measured out the average cost of a 24-pack of beer in each of the 50 states.

Michigan's average cost is $14.62, beating out California ($14.87), Illinois ($15.00) and North Carolina ($15.23).

Pennsylvania has the most expensive beer ($21.98 per 24-pack) - which shouldn't be surprising, given the state's strict laws on alcohol - followed by Tennessee ($21.97) and Texas ($21.66).

Of course, some background: A lot of this depends on each state's alcohol taxes and regulations, and this study used just a sample of stores from each state. Here's the methodology, as explained by Simple Thrifty Living:

The team at Simple Thrifty Living used data primarily from two national retailers: Total Wine and Walmart -- their prices are very comparable. They selected up to 10 stores per state, each one from a different zip code. The zip codes were a mix of urban and rural to make sure the data encompassed as much of the state as possible. They looked at the prices of Bud Light and Miller Lite, two of the most popular domestic beers -- specifically a case of beer (12 oz cans), since that was the most common sized pack sold throughout the country. Then, they averaged out all of the prices per state and rounded to the nearest cent.

Of course, we'd always recommend Michiganders - and travelers from out of state - to try out the state's wide selection of quality craft brews, which are likely going to be more expensive than the cheap 24-packs you find at party stores. But at least those looking to drink cheap can do so in the Great Lakes State, right?

As always, please drink responsibly.

Contact Brian Manzullo: bmanzullo@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrianManzullo.

Be sure that you follow the Detroit Free Press on Twitter (@freep) and Instagram and like us on on Facebook.