Beer in Colonial America

The native peoples of North and South America brewed their own fermented beverages from local ingredients ranging from such things as maize to spruce tips to agave sap. However, when Europeans arrived in America, they brought with them their knowledge of brewing beer from barley. Although America's virgin waterways were not yet polluted, the deeply ingrained European fear of drinking water forced the colonists - and, in fact, all sailors - to bring beer with them on their trans-Atlantic voyages. From a first-hand account of the Pilgrims' voyage to America in 1620, we now know that the Mayflower was forced to land at Plymouth Rock rather than their planned destination of the Hudson River Bay because their supplies, and primarily their beer, were running short. Therefore, beer was an extremely important part of life in the New World from the very start.

After food and shelter were established, one of the very next issues settlers invariably addressed was their dwindling beer supply. At a time and in a place when food was in short supply and water was feared, the belief that beer was beneficial to one's health was a fundamental tenet of colonial culture, so a brewery was always one of the first structures erected in a new settlement. Beer was brewed in America by English settlers of Virginia as early as 1584. Historians generally agree that the Dutch settlers of New Amsterdam (present-day Manhattan Island) built America's first brewery in 1612. The Pilgrims erected a make-shift brewery in the winter of 1620 - their very first winter in America - even though their overall survival was less than certain. However, the earliest American settlers did not attempt to cultivate their own barley in America but rather relied upon imported European beer and brewing supplies.

Just as they were the first to establish a brewery in America, the Dutch were the first to successfully cultivate barley in America. However, the American settlers' demand for beer surpassed the yield attainable from domestic grain supplies and wild hops, so the colonists continued to import European beer and brewing supplies in high quantities. However, deliveries from Europe were expensive and infrequent, so the colonists were inevitably forced to consider alternatives to barley. Two of the most common barley substitutes were maize - a brewing ingredient the colonists were introduced to by Native Americans - and molasses. Maize was used by European brewers to make beer as early as 1620. Colonial brewers also experimented with spruce and even pumpkin. However, these substitute brews were frequently of such a poor quality that the colonial governments in the mid-1600's were actually forced to enacted beer purity regulations - America's fist consumer protection laws. Despite its rocky start, beer would soon play an increasingly important role in colonial American life.

Pre-Revolutionary America (from the 17th to the mid-18th century) enjoyed one of the highest beer consumption rates in American history. Because of this, beer played no small part in the evolution of America from a widely dispersed group of small settlements dependent upon England for survival into a network of self-reliant and independent colonies. As the population increased, so did the need for beer as a key source of nutrition and refreshment - the colonists continued to avoid water at all costs. Americans still drank great quantities of English beer at this time. However, as buying imported beer became increasingly cost-prohibitive for most Americans, the demand for locally brewed beer grew stronger. This meant the need for new breweries, which required equipment and raw materials to produce their beer. America's burgeoning brewing industry in turn fostered the growth of local agriculture and industry and further economic growth.

Needing a place to drink, relax and socialize just as they did in Europe, the demand for beer forced the opening of taverns and inns throughout the colonies. However, colonial American taverns were not just places to drink beer. Being the social center of any town, taverns were forums for social and political discourse, which became increasingly important as revolutionary sentiment grew throughout the colonies. Angered over England's increasing taxation of and indifference to the American colonies, colonists frequently vented their frustrations in their local taverns. It is easy to surmise that the seeds of revolution were planted over several pints of ale in the local tavern. Taverns was often a town's only meeting hall. Since courthouses generally did not exist, taverns also doubled as courtrooms for judges traveling their circuit throughout the colony. Merchants, and therefore economic development, were more likely to reach an area of the country with ample taverns and inns. In many poorer towns, taverns even acted as the local church. Without over-emphasizing their place in history, taverns played an extremely important role in the early social and economic development of colonial American society.

Beer continued to play a large role in America as the Revolution turned from defiant rhetoric into open war. Besides the British army, the only soldiers in America were the colonial militias. However, the militiamen were farmers and artisans with more important things to worry about than marching and target practice. Knowing the importance of a well-trained militia, colonial governments were forced to bribe their militiamen to come to training days with the promise of free beer. When the Revolution began in earnest and the fledgling American government needed to raise an army, the promise of beer was once again used to recruit volunteers. Historians have many letters from General Washington to the Continental Congress expressing his desire that his troops be given their daily ration of beer. Persuaded by General Washington, the Continental Congress delivered as promised - beer was one of the primary rations of soldiers in the Continental Army.

Because of the pervasive nature of beer in colonial society, several of America's leading revolutionaries were involved in the brewing industry themselves. Boston's Samuel Adams, the cousin of co-revolutionary and future president John Adams, was a maltster. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were noted homebrewers. Beer was also a leading consideration when it came time for the colonies' leading revolutionaries to meet and decide the fate of their new country. Philadelphia - colonial America's brewing capital - was chosen twice by the delegates to the Continental Congress as the site of their deliberations. After the Revolution, Philadelphia was chosen a third time to host the Constitutional Convention. It is well documented in historical writings that many behind-the-scenes deals and compromises were struck in Philadelphia's taverns after debate had formally ended for the day. Washington's personal notes reflect that on the last day of their meetings, after the Constitution had been finally drafted, the delegates adjourned to none other than Philadelphia's City Tavern - still inexistence today.

At the end of the Revolutionary War, beer's place in American society was firmly entrenched. Many Americans had a difficult time giving up their old habits, so English beer was still imported. However, the majority of Americans now purchased their beer from local brewers. In fact, George Washington - known for his love of porter - proudly boasted that he only purchased his porter from American brewers, specifically one in Philadelphia. During this time America's larger breweries were evolving from local into regional concerns, and Americas' first national brewery was born under Matthew Vassar - the benefactor and namesake of the preeminent women's college.

While Philadelphia, New York and Boston remained the centers of America's brewing industry, as Americans moved west, so did the brewers. Breweries continued to make beer and Americans continued to drink it. Breweries even popped up in America's frontier cities, like Pittsburgh and Cincinnati. America's westward expansion at the beginning of the 19th century coincided with a large influx of German immigrants into America. This emigration set the stage for one of the most monumental changes in the American brewing industry - the introduction of lager to America.