If you can find a case of beer for under $21.66 for this weekend's cookout, you've scored a cheaper than average price in Texas. We've got some of the most expensive brew in America here.  Who knew!  And why is it so cheap in Michigan?  

Our friends over at Simple Thrifty Living decided to look at beer prices across the country, and broke it down by state who pays the most for a case of beer.

It only costs $14.62 for 24 cans of beer in Michigan.  Cheap!   And it's not just beers like Cheapstone Light that they looked at to figure this out.  They analyzed prices on Bud Light and Miller Light at Total Wine and Walmart stores across the country to come up with the averages.  And there were some big differences.

In Texas, we pay 3rd most in the country for a case of beer, averaging $21.66 for a 24-pack.  Only Tennessee and Pennsylvania had higher averages.

After Michigan, the cheapest cases of beer are found in California, Illinois, and North Carolina.  Connecticut, South Carolina, and Nebraska are pretty low-priced too.

Our friends in Louisiana and Arkansas are in the middle of the pack on beer prices;  less expensive than Texas and more expensive than most of the Midwestern states.

Why the big differences?  Much of it has to do with alcohol taxes and regulations in each state, and it has nothing to do with the brewer's love for us or lack thereof.  Beer circumstances are different, depending on where you down it.

I know you're not going to be thinking about average beer prices after you've had a few at your 4th of July cookout this weekend, so I thought I'd bring it up now for planning purposes.  When your friends ask what they can bring to the barbecue, beer might be a good option.

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