After tying Portland, Ore., for the title in 2009, Asheville skyrocketed to the top of the BeerCity USA 2011 poll to claim the crown exclusively for the second consecutive year, according to results released May 10.

The BeerCity USA poll is considered a measure of community pride. The Asheville community at-large cast its support for its eight small breweries, with others in the area.

In a story in Beer Examiner, Charlie Papazian stated, “I visited Asheville earlier this year, to see what this city was made of.  Beer geek city USA? Not at all. Actually far from it. It’s a diverse and energized cosmopolitan town with an active appreciation for local businesses.

“While franchise type restaurants are along the roadsides leading to and from Asheville, you’ll be very hard pressed to encounter anything but locally owned small retail businesses in downtown Asheville.

“The city is not only behind its small brewers, but behind local business.  I encountered several people at non-brewery restaurants, ticket counters, rental car desks, hotel management and more who were far from being what one might “brand” as beer enthusiasts.

“Yet they were very aware of their city’s brewers and what they meant to the people of Asheville.  Some didn’t even drink beer, but loved the idea of hometown small business,” Papazian noted.
A total of 14,999 votes cast in this year’s BeerCity USA poll, out of which 7,002 votes were cast for Asheville.  

The Top Ten BeerCity USA 2011

Asheville, NC                                    7,002         46.68%
San Diego, CA                                  2,374         15.83%
Portland, OR                                     1,495          9.97%   
Bend, OR                                             821         5.47%   
St. Louis, MO                                       549         3.66%   
Milwaukee, WI                                      391         2.61%   
Philadelphia, PA                                   366         2.44%   
Seattle, WA                                         336         2.24%   
San Francisco/Oakland - Bay Area, CA  320         2.13%   
Chicago, IL                                           287         1.91%   

Only one vote per computer and IP address.

Votes were cast from 50 countries, with 14,766 from the U.S.

Statistics on votes cast from each state

(based on IP address and other demographic information)

North Carolina                   3,612
California                           2,038
Oregon                              1,215
New Jersey                          836
South Carolina                     695
Georgia                               582
Colorado                              510
Virginia                                466
Pennsylvania                        429
Illinois                                 397