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The History of Beer
Ancient History
Beer is thousands of years old. Between 10,000 and 15,000 years ago nomads began to settle and take up agricultural lifestyles. Grain was the first crop to be domesticated and one of the most important ingredients in the college student’s favorite beverage, BEER! The earliest evidence found of brewing beer dates back to about 7,000 BC. Early Sumerian tablets that date back to about 3,000 BC show the earliest beer recipe and the Code of Hammurabi showed standards of the time for brewing and serving beer.
History in the United States
Beer first arrived in the United States in 1607 from England. The first beer traveled across the Atlantic Ocean and arrived in the Virginia Colony. The first brewery was not built until 1612 in the New World of New Amsterdam, which is known at Manhattan today, by Adrian Block and Hans Christiansen. From here American’s soon realized the joys of beer and it began to take the country by storm and by 1810 there were 120 active breweries in America!
In 1844 Jacob Best founded a brewery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, that later evolved into the Pabst Brewing Company which many well educated college kids are familiar with. By 1860 more than 1,200 breweries existed in the United States and over one million barrels of beer were being produced each year. Between 1880 and 1910 the number of breweries dropped after reaching a high of 4,131 due to the improved methods of distribution. By 1910 there were only about 1,600 breweries remaining. When the prohibition hit in 1919, American’s were upset and protests became an issue. On April 7, 1933, the prohibition was put to an end by the 21st Amendment and by June 31 breweries were back in business.
In 2001, more than 1,400 breweries produced over 6 million barrels of beer. In 2009 there were more than 1,500 breweries in the United States, which outnumbered any other country in the world!
Beer is thousands of years old. Between 10,000 and 15,000 years ago nomads began to settle and take up agricultural lifestyles. Grain was the first crop to be domesticated and one of the most important ingredients in the college student’s favorite beverage, BEER! The earliest evidence found of brewing beer dates back to about 7,000 BC. Early Sumerian tablets that date back to about 3,000 BC show the earliest beer recipe and the Code of Hammurabi showed standards of the time for brewing and serving beer.
History in the United States
Beer first arrived in the United States in 1607 from England. The first beer traveled across the Atlantic Ocean and arrived in the Virginia Colony. The first brewery was not built until 1612 in the New World of New Amsterdam, which is known at Manhattan today, by Adrian Block and Hans Christiansen. From here American’s soon realized the joys of beer and it began to take the country by storm and by 1810 there were 120 active breweries in America!
In 1844 Jacob Best founded a brewery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, that later evolved into the Pabst Brewing Company which many well educated college kids are familiar with. By 1860 more than 1,200 breweries existed in the United States and over one million barrels of beer were being produced each year. Between 1880 and 1910 the number of breweries dropped after reaching a high of 4,131 due to the improved methods of distribution. By 1910 there were only about 1,600 breweries remaining. When the prohibition hit in 1919, American’s were upset and protests became an issue. On April 7, 1933, the prohibition was put to an end by the 21st Amendment and by June 31 breweries were back in business.
In 2001, more than 1,400 breweries produced over 6 million barrels of beer. In 2009 there were more than 1,500 breweries in the United States, which outnumbered any other country in the world!
Bottle Facts
There are three different colors that beer is typically bottled in, clear, green, and brown. Believe it or not there is reason behind which color of bottle you choose to use. Some may choose the color of the bottle to go with a label better or just have a preference in color. What some people do not know is that the darker the bottle is, the more protected your beer is harmful blue wavelengths that can cause your beer to become “skunked.” A skunked beer is caused by hop-deprived molecules, known as isohumulones, being torn apart by the UV lights leaving the beer with a “skunked” aroma. Brown bottles do not completely protect your beer but they definitely protect it more than clear or green bottles. Clear and green bottles provide little to no protection from the UV lights.
There are three different colors that beer is typically bottled in, clear, green, and brown. Believe it or not there is reason behind which color of bottle you choose to use. Some may choose the color of the bottle to go with a label better or just have a preference in color. What some people do not know is that the darker the bottle is, the more protected your beer is harmful blue wavelengths that can cause your beer to become “skunked.” A skunked beer is caused by hop-deprived molecules, known as isohumulones, being torn apart by the UV lights leaving the beer with a “skunked” aroma. Brown bottles do not completely protect your beer but they definitely protect it more than clear or green bottles. Clear and green bottles provide little to no protection from the UV lights.