Non-Irish beers (Sam Adams anyone?) dominate on St. Patrick’s Day

The St. Patrick’s Day beer with the best reputation? Hint: It’s not Irish.

Samuel Adams is the suds brand that is best perceived in the U.S. by adults of drinking age, according to YouGov BrandIndex. The research firm’s Buzz Score collected opinions about various beers over the last two weeks based on advertising, news and word of mouth.

The Boston Beer Co.brew was followed in the rankings by Budweiser, Bud Light, Heineken and Corona. Popular Irish dry stout Guinness was ranked sixth, before Dos Equis, Miller Lite, Coors Lite and Miller.

YouGov also performed a sweep of the East Coast, where beers such as Yuengling, Beck’s and Foster’s showed up on New York’s favored list and Busch and Amstel were among the top ranked in Boston. Rolling Rock made an appearance in Chicago.

It’s boozy holidays such as St. Patrick’s Day that give the beer industry hope. Sales have been declining in the U.S. for years, especially for big names such asAnheuser-Busch.

The saving graces? The growing popularity of craft brews and ciders as well as venues such as beer gardens.

And on Saturday, Irish pubs. The average one pulls in $2 million a year in revenue, according to trade group Irish Pubs Global. With 1,200 Irish pubs in the U.S., that comes out to $2.4 billion in annual sales.

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