John F. Kennedy’s Favorite Beer is a Favorite Here in Maine

The 35th President of the United States—and New England native—was a huge fan of a beer that we here in Maine also love.

We love our beer here in Maine—but just like back in college, and still true today, the best beer is a free one, right?

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So, with that in mind, which beer was apparently John F. Kennedy’s favorite—and also a favorite of many Mainers?

According to The White House Historical Association, President John F. Kennedy’s favorite beer was Heineken, and his go-to cocktail was a daiquiri.

Getty Images for Heineken

Despite being known for his polished image and sharp political mind, JFK had a surprisingly simple beer preference.

As noted in a piece from Mashed, Heineken was an unusual choice during a time when most Americans drank only domestic lagers.

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Whether he was hosting at the White House or relaxing on his own, JFK often reached for a Heineken.

Kennedy’s love for the Dutch beer stood out, thanks to its slightly bitter taste and the skunky smell that came from its green bottle—something Mainers also tend to either love or hate.

Getty Images for Heineken

Food & Wine just put out a report on the most popular beer in each state, and while Miller (either Lite or High Life) took the crown in Maine, Heineken didn’t go unnoticed.

Sure, it didn’t top the list—but let’s be honest, we all know a Mainer who swears by that skunky green bottle.

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There you have it: JFK was a Heineken man. Now, we get it—not everyone is—but that was his go-to.

What do you think of our 35th President’s favorite beer? Are you a fan? We’d love to hear from you! Feel free to join the conversation by messaging us on the app.

Here's the Top 20 Maine Craft Beers According to BeerAdvocate

Here is a list of the 20 highest rated beers from Maine breweries on the website, BeerAdvocate.

The list is dominated by three breweries- Allagash, Bissel Brothers, and Maine Beer Co. The IPA style is clearly the most popular, which is not surprising given recent beer trends.

Research comes from Beer Advocate's Maine page in March of 2025.

Gallery Credit: Chris Sedenka

LOOK: Best Beers From Every State

To find the best beer in each state and Washington D.C., Stacker analyzed January 2020 data from BeerAdvocate, a website that gathers user scores for beer in real-time. BeerAdvocate makes its determinations by compiling consumer ratings for all 50 states and Washington D.C. and applying a weighted rank to each. The weighted rank pulls the beer toward the list's average based on the number of ratings it has and aims to allow lesser-known beers to increase in rank. Only beers with at least 10 rankings to be considered; we took it a step further to only include beers with at least 100 user rankings in our gallery. Keep reading to find out what the best beer is in each of the 50 states and Washington D.C.

Gallery Credit: Angela Underwood