From Beer to Eternity

American brewing goes way back. Early Virginians enjoyed corn ale. George Washington preferred porter. And according to Brooklyn Brewery Brewmaster Garrett Oliver, Harvard’s first schoolmaster was “dismissed in disgrace for failing to supply the students with enough beer.”

Once the Revolutionary War started, drinking the royal supply didn’t sit well, so colonials brewed their own. By 1810 there were 140 U.S. breweries. Most crafted ales in the English and Dutch tradition. Then came the Germans. Over a million immigrants poured into the United States in the mid-19th century, bringing with them a taste for lager — a lighter, crisper aged style of beer that quickly caught on. As a result, independent breweries speckled post-Civil War America. Thousands of warehouses clamored with kettles of all sizes. These steaming vats of malted barley and aromatic hops were overseen mostly by ambitious young Germans. But for various reasons — wars, ill-fated prohibitions, a fellow named Busch — 100 years later, there were only 40 U.S. breweries left.

Now, as any moderately conscious bar-goer knows, American beer is back. According to the Brewers Association, as of 2009 there were nearly 1,600 native breweries: the highest total since before Prohibition. Nearly every state has its own craft brewers, complementing the big guys with varied styles, challenging flavors and less corporate restraint. To trace the convoluted path of our country’s beer legacy, here’s a whirlwind tour of American brewing, past to present, with plenty of pints along the way.

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