“Ale, proper drink for Americans.” NY Brewers, July 4th, 1788
“We could not now take time for further search or consideration, our victuals being much spent, especially our beer, and it being now the 19th of December,” Mayflower, 1620. Ale, top fermenting English beer, was a necessity of life. Europe’s water was normally polluted (usually from sewage dumped upstream or near the well), milk made you sick (smallpox), and wine and tea were expensive. While America offered abundant clear and pure water, habit prevailed and the average colonial is said to have consumed over three gallons of “processed” liquid daily (ale, apple or pear cider, and mead), with ale being by far the most popular. “Mother’s milk to beer” was the norm. The colonialists brought along grain, yeast and probably hops for local brewing. Families brewed for their own table and some also supplied the local tavern. Demand outstripped production and both ingredients and casked beer were imported (later, like tea, becoming a tax issue). Local, small commercial brewing developed in response to demand, stimulated in part by the Crown’s promotion of “a tavern in every village” as a means of encouraging interior economic development and providing its representative (traveling jurists) a place to hold court and stay the night. Tavern taprooms developed reputations for their beers and fare (good and bad), and the cultivation of barley and hops spread throughout the colonies. The tavern became the colonial village social, economic, legal, information and transportation hub, a condition the Crown came to regret. The American experiment kind of began over a pint of good ale in a colonial tavern, was nurtured there, and with General Washington’s 1783 farewell to his officers of the Continental Army at Fraunces Tavern, was sealed there.
Visit Williamsburg Alewerks, take the tour, and pick up beer for your lodging or to take home. Visit a local tavern for a pint of good ale! |
