The Ultimate Beer Road Trip…According to Math

Looking to plan the ultimate cross country beer road trip, hitting the best breweries in the country while spending the least amount of time on the road? Of course you are. And Nathan Yau, the brain behind Flowing Data has done the math, applying genetic algorithms and Google Maps API to RateBeer’s top 100 list. Basically, he figured out how to hit all the best breweries in the country by driving the least miles possible. Brilliant.

Here’s the list of kickass breweries he was working with.

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All in, there are 70 breweries on the route. Follow the map and you’ll drive 12,299 miles passing through 40 states. It’s 197 hours of drive time, which Yau figures will take you 20 days including time to metabolize the beer so you don’t drink and drive. That’s if you just hit the 70 top breweries on the list. There are an estimated 1,400 more within a five-mile drive along the route.

Here’s the full map. I’ll go halfsies on gas.