In this week's pod I named Beer as my biggest winner of the World Cup. Here's why:

According to the Beer Institute, beer sales across bars, restaurants and stadiums rose 14% in U.S. host cities during the first four weeks of the tournament versus the same period a year earlier — and the effect wasn't contained to host markets either, with national sales up 4%. That's a real number for a category that has been shrinking for a decade: U.S. beer consumption has fallen steadily for ten straight years, according to the Brewers Association, with total U.S. alcohol volume down 5% last year.

The on-the-ground numbers back up the topline stats. FIFA organizers said fans got through 290,000 stadium beers across just six matches in Philadelphia. Boston Beer Co. founder Jim Koch told PBS his Sam Adams Boston Taproom needed emergency deliveries the day Scotland's fans hit town, saying “we were pouring them a Sam Adams Boston Lager every 12 seconds.” Budweiser reported selling 3.2 million cans across its stadium and fan-zone footprint, more than any prior World Cup.

Beer and football go hand-in-hand in so many parts of the world and increasingly that is the case with soccer in North America. The English or Irish pub is often the 'headquarters' for watching international soccer, while MLS and USL supporters groups base themselves in bars. Smart clubs tap-in to the connection with some, such as the USL's Orange County, holding a beer festival. Michelob Ultra, the World Cup's official beer is also MLS's official beer, but as Michael Hitchcock's various USL 2 ventures have shown, there is plenty to be gained from deals with local craft brews.