Brewing Traditions of the Middle West (JaredR)

Brewing Up Traditions: The Roots

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American colonial brewing traditions were largely adaptations of the brewing styles familiar to the English and Dutch. The ales of the British Isles were typically pure malt ales or gruits; colonial settlers, drawing upon North American indigenous fermentation traditions and knowledge, supplemented their grain bill with local ingredients like maple sap. (Buhner, 250) Once the Dutch realized that hops grew well in New Amsterdam (New York), the hopped ale styles that were more popular with the Dutch began to gain favor. London-style Porters and Dry “Irish” Stouts became increasing popular. New York became an early center for hop production. Most colonial beer was made for domestic consumption, although small breweries did exist. As the Yankees moved west into the Great Lakes region, they took their new brewing knowledge with them.

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Early settlers to the Corn Belt also brought their knowledge of alcohol production with them. An abundance of corn (maize) led Scottish and Irish distillers to create a new American whiskey, bourbon. The experience gained from brewing with corn prior to distillation, paved the way for the later use of brewing adjuncts.

The Great Lakes region is the product of relatively recent repeated glaciations, once land is drained it is fertile; alfisols (forest soils) are also generally fertile and are suitable for a wide range of crops, including grain. Yankee settlers favored the production of wheat to the growth of corn more popular in the southern reaches of the Middle West. They also grew the crops that were necessary for beer production. As some Yankees began to continue westward, a number of farms were sold to German immigrants; by the end of the 19^th century there was a sizeable German population in the Middle West and in eastern Wisconsin, in particular. (Hudson, p. 225-226)

German Immigration and the Birth of an Industry

German brewing traditions of the 19^th century were heavily influenced by the Reinheitsgebot (German Purity Law). This law, which roughly

Brewer, C.A., Fitzsimmons, J.D., Juhn, A.E., Perry, M.J., Suchan, T.A.,

coincided with the Protestant Reformation and the excommunication of Martin Luther, was partially a reaction to the monopoly of the Catholic Church on gruit production. (Buhner, 172) It allowed for only three ingredients in beer: barley, water, and hops; the role of yeast was not yet understood. German unification and the nationwide adoption of the German Purity Law meant that German brewers emigrating to America largely rejected Yankee brewing traditions in favor of the more familiar light lager styles of Bavaria. The growing importance of Milwaukee as a wheat market, transportation center and a burgeoning manufacturing hub meant that a steady supply of new German immigrants provided the demand a new generation of breweries needed. The resident population of the Middle West also embraced the new lager beers.

Traditional German breweries typically operate a beer hall as a means of distributing their draft beers. German American breweries continued this model by operating beer halls, taverns, and bars as an extension of their breweries. Breweries such as Pabst Brewing Company of Milwaukee, WI and Anheuser-Busch of St. Louis, MO chose to utilize the network of railroads to become “shipping” breweries. These new regional breweries used new technologies to make their beers available to the growing nation rather than focus on locally available draft beer. The shippers were only moderately successful until the passage of the 18^th Amendment. (Stack)

America’s Not So Noble Experiment

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The prohibition of alcohol, almost nearly destroyed American brewing traditions. The Volstead Act almost completely closed all local breweries. The breweries, especially the shippers, that survived made non-alcoholic beers and malt syrups marketed for baking but designed for homebrewing. Prohibition largely reestablished the tradition of domestically producing alcohol. When the 21^st Amendment ended the prohibition of alcohol, breweries were not allowed to own saloons. The competitive advantage offered to shipping breweries ensured that most local breweries that attempted to reopen failed. Many of the remaining production breweries were in the Middle West; many of them continued to make pale lagers. The relative lack of local breweries ensured that homebrewing traditions continued. (Stack)

The End of an Era and the Beginnings of a Movement

The post-Prohibition period of American brewing history is marked by brewery consolidation. Partially as a result of grain rationing during WWII and partially because of the move of grain and hop production west, the use of adjuncts, notably corn (from the Middle West) and rice, increased during this time. Dissatisfaction with the use of adjuncts in beer, the lack of diversity in brewing styles, and the impact of homebrewing on local beer cultures led to the rise of the microbrewery movement towards the end of the 20^th century. (Mosher, 10)

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Microbreweries initially centered in New England and along the Pacific Realm. As many state laws restricting ownership of a brewpub by a microbrewery were relaxed, microbrewery growth has spread across the country. The Middle West remains a center for brewing production. The three largest brewing companies in the nation as of 2008, Anheuser-Busch, MillerCoors, and Pabst Brewing Company are centered in the region; of the top fifty microbreweries, six are from the region. (Brewers Association) The Middle West continues to play a considerable role in the nation’s brewing traditions and the future of global beer.

References

References:

• Brewers Association. (2009) Brewers Association Releases Top 50 Breweries List. Retrieved from: http://www.brewersassociation.org/pages/media/press-releases/show?title=brewers-association-releases-top-50-breweries-list
• Buhner, S. (1998). Sacred and Herbal Healing Beers: The Secrets of Ancient Fermentation. Boulder, Colorado: Siris Books
• Hudson, John C. (2002). Across This Land: A Regional Geography of the United States and Canada. Baltimore, Maryland: The Johns Hopkins University Press.
• Mosher, R. (2004). Radical Brewing. Boulder, Colorado: Brewers Publications.
• Stack, M. H. (2003). A Concise History of America’s Brewing Industry. Retrieved from: http://eh.net/encyclopedia/article/stack.brewing.industry.history.us