Blog #004 - The Change In Numbers

When summed up, the history of America's Brewing Industry appears to be quite a rollercoaster ride. The change in the number of breweries tells the story...from 4,000 breweries around 1870, when refrigeration made state to state beer transportation possible, down to a depressing 44 breweries in 1979, and then back up to over 1,400 breweries in 2008.

There is plenty of blame to go around, most of it landing on the United States government for its 'Great Social Experiment', aka Prohibition. I personally like to throw a little blame on the Axis Powers (Germany, Italy & Japan) for sucking us into World War II. In 1942, the only remaining brewers after prohibition were asked by the military to start brewing lower alcohol beer for the troops, thereby forcing men's palettes to become accustomed to light, near-flavorless piss water. Ok, so I am being a little dramatic. But can you imagine that there was a single soldier who returned home, saddled up to his local watering hole and requested a brown ale, marzen, witbier, rachbier, trippel, barleywine or even a pale ale? 

Most men just kept drinking Pabst Blue Ribbon, Hamm's, Lowenbrau (the American version), Blatz and Miller High Life. It took almost 30 years for the country to snap out of it. And that is where the story gets interesting.