Beer in America : the early years, 1587-1840 : beer's role in the settling of America and the birth of a nation

326 Pages·1998·17.002 MB·English

by  Smith, Gregg

Beer in
America
The Early Years—1587–1840

Beer in
America
The Early Years—1587–1840
Beer’s Role in the Settling of America
and the Birth of a Nation
Gregg Smith
An Imprint of Brewers Publications
A Division of the Brewers Association
Boulder, Colorado
Siris Books, an imprint of Brewers Publications
A Division of the Brewers Association
PO Box 1679, Boulder, CO 80306-1679
[phone]; Fax [phone]
www.BrewersAssociation.org
© 1998 by Gregg Smith
All rights reserved. Except for use in a review, no portion of this book
may be reproduced in any form without written permission of the pub-
lisher. Neither the author, editors, nor the publisher assumes any respon-
sibility for the use or misuse of information contained in this book.
Please direct all inquiries to the above address.
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5
ISBN-13: 978-0-937381-65-6
ISBN-10: 0-937381-65-9
Siris Books. Who is Siris? She was the daughter of Ninkasi, the Sumerian
goddess of beer. Anthropologists personify Siris as the beer itself.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Smith, Gregg, 1952–
Beer in America : the early years, 1587–1840 : beer’s role in the settling of
America and the birth of a nation / Gregg Smith.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-937381-65-9 (alk. paper)
1. Beer—United States—Social aspects. 2. Brewing industry—United
States—History. I. Title.
TP577.S593 1998
394.1´3—dc21 98-17065
CIP
To Darcy, Jessica, and Samantha
P
Jeffrey—Don’t Give Up the Ship

Contents
IntroductIon • The Dawn of American Beer 1
PART ONE Beer Arrives in North America:
The Start of a Journey to Greatness 5
chapter 1 • Building a Home and a Brewery, Too:
The Early 1600s 7
chapter 2 • Beer Settles in: The Late 1600s 25
chapter 3 • Beer and the Birth of an American
Culture: The Early 1700s 49
chapter 4 • Independence: When Fermentation
Aided Fomentation 73
chapter 5 • Beer and the Revolutionary War 93
chapter 6 • Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Porter:
Postwar Beer 111
chapter 7 • The Nation and Breweries Expand:
The Early 1800s 129
chapter 8 • Fame and Fortune: The Emergence of the
Big Breweries of the 1800s 147
Contents
PART TWO Factors Influencing Beer Drinking and
Brewing in the Colonial Period 181
chapter 9 • The Government Takes a Bite
Out of Beer: Taxation 183
chapter 10 • Beer’s Home: The Tavern 193
chapter 11 • Beer Drinks: The Colonial Cocktail 209
chapter 12 • Homebrewing: America’s Beer Heritage 225
chapter 13 • Beer Under Fire: Temperance
and Prohibition 237
chapter 14 • Colonial Brewing Technology 251
appendIx • Colonial Beer Timeline 273
Notes 289
BiBliography 299
iNdex 305
viii
Acknowledgments
Acknowledgments go to: Bob Brewer, whose use of his personal
library and supportive friendship eased the task; Carrie Getty,
whom I cannot thank enough for everything over the years;
Daniel Bradford, for his support; Dave Heidrich, whose words,
“Hey it’s only beer,” were constantly good reminders; and finally,
Lisa Variano, for her contributions on the working text.