Craft beer has deep roots within American history. Even the Native Americans had produced corn-based beer prior to the arrival of settlers. It was not long before the brewing industry started to pick up in the New World.
In 1612, New Amsterdam was home to New World Brewery, which was the first major brewery in the colonies. By the early 1800's, America was home to only over 100 breweries and most citizens drank locally brewed beer. By the late 1800's there were over 4,000 breweries and growing. The industry got even crazier when a large number of German immigrants brought along their brewing techniques.
Prohibition: The Dark Age For Beer.
Once prohibition had plagued the country in 1920, beer culture had to go underground. This head led to gang wars that are not too different than the drug gangs that operate today. Home brewing and micro brewing were pretty much the only hope left for remaining beer drinkers. Once society had learned that prohibition doesn't work, it was repealed in 1933. This was when breweries had rapidly started to open up again.
Craft Brewing: The Revival.
In the 1950s and 1960s, mass production of beer by a few companies had started to dominated the market. By the 1980's, there were only 50 breweries left. Fortunately, there has been a revival of craft brewing within the past 30 years and thousands of microbreweries have opened up making craft beer even more popular.
The Brewers Association reported that there were over 5,300 craft beweries in the country. It is expected that hundreds more breweries will open up just this year. It is now a significant part of the company that sustains hundreds of thousands of jobs. It now rivals the craft beer uprising that the country had during the late 1800's.
Looking for some delicious craft beer? Take a visit to Hartland Mobil today, not only do they have an expansive craft beer collection but they also have the largest wine selection in Highland MI and a diesel station!
