A Timeline of American Beer

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Every day is the day to appreciate beer, but especially the brew made right here in the good ol' US of A. And while now is a wonderful time to be a beer drinker in America thanks to the craft beer boom, our history as a beer making and drinking country is old and complex.

Did you know for example that Americans - Native Americans - were making beer here long before Europeans arrived? And did you know that just a few decades ago all US beer was made by just 83 breweries?

It's a great history. We've come a long way from our founding to where we are now. So crack open a cold one, sit back and read a brief timeline of the history of American Beer. (much thanks to the beerhistory.com for a lot of research that we added to).

1200s	Pueblo Indians in the American Southwest brewing corn-based ale.
1593	Columbus records and entry saying the “Indians” he met were drinking a beer-like drink made from corn.
1587	Virginia colonists brew corn-based ale.
1607	First shipment of beer arrives in the Virginia colony from England.
1609	American "Help Wanted" advertisements appear in London seeking brewers for the Virginia Colony.
1612	Dutch explorers Adrian Block & Hans Christiansen establish the first known brewery in the New World on the southern tip of New Amsterdam (Manhattan).
1620	Pilgrims arrive in Plymouth in the Colony of Massachusetts aboard the Mayflower. They were originally supposed to settle just north of what is now New York City, but because beer was in short supply they were forced to stop at the first land available.
1621	Samoset walks into the Pilgrim’s camp, says hello and asks for beer.
1637	First brewery in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
1639	Brewery built in Providence, Rhode Island.
1670	First license to brew beer in New Hampshire.
1683	First brewery in Pennsylvania colonies.
1683	First brewery in Philadelphia.
1738	First brewery in Georgia.
1765	The British Army builds the first brewery west of the Allegheny Mountains at Fort Pitt (Pittsburgh, PA).
1765	First brewery outside the 13 colonies in what is now Illinois.
1775	Congress gives ration of one quart of Spruce Beer or Cider to each soldier per day during Revolutionary War.
1789	George Washington presents his "buy American" policy indicating he will only drink porter made in America.
1789	Massachusetts passes an Act encouraging the manufacture and consumption of beer and ale.
1810	132 operating breweries produce 185,000 barrels of beer. Population of the country is 7 million.
1810	First brewery in St. Louis, Missouri.
1819	A steam engine built by Thomas Holloway is installed in the brewery of Frances Perot in Philadelphia. This is the first engine to be used in beer production in America.
1819	First brewery in Rochester, New York.
1829	David G. Yuengling opens a brewery in the Pennsylvania coal town of Pottsville. Still owned and operated by the Yuengling family.
1830	First brewery in Buffalo, New York.
1833	First commercial brewery in Chicago.
1837	First brewery in Indiana.
1840	Lager beer is introduced into the US through Philadelphia by brewer John Wagner.
1844	Jacob Best starts a brewery in Milwaukee which later becomes the Pabst Brewing Co.
1849	August Krug starts a brewery in Milwaukee that becomes the Schlitz Brewery.
1849	California's first brewery opens in San Francisco.
1850	Iowa's first brewery established.
1850	431 breweries in the country produce 750,000 barrels of beer (31 gallons per barrel). The population is 23 million.
1852	George Schneider starts a brewery in St. Louis, Missouri that becomes Anheuser-Busch.
1852	Henry Saxer starts City Brewery in Portland, Oregon Territory later owned by Henry Weinhard.
1855	First brewery founded in Texas.
1859	First brewery in Colorado.
1860	1269 breweries produce over one million barrels of beer for a population of 31 million. New York and Pennsylvania account for 85% of the production.
1862	Idaho's first brewery.
1862	First tax on a barrel of beer. Internal Revenue Act taxes beer at the rate of one dollar per barrel to help finance the government during the Civil War.
1863	First brewery in Montana Territory.
1866	First brewery in the Arizona Territory in Tucson.
1867	3700 breweries in operation in America producing 6 million barrels of beer.
1869	Best Brewing Co. enters Milwaukee with the purchase of Charles T. Melms' Brewery. Later become Pabst.
1884	Lone Star Brewing Co. established in San Antonio, Texas by Adolphus Busch and Otto Koehler.
1892	Crown cap invented by William Painter allowing beer bottles to be sealed cheaply and easily.
1898	Beer barrel tax raised to $2.00 during Spanish American War. Beer sales decline.
1898	First brewery in Hawaii.
1910	Number of breweries overall drops to around 1500.
1919	18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution ratified on January 16 calling for national prohibition to take effect one year from the date of ratification.
1921	300 million gallons of "near beer" produced.
1929	It is estimated that 22 million barrels (31 gallons per barrel) of illegal beer is brewed annually. That is nearly the same amount of legal beer sold in 1919.
1932	Day long beer parade is organized in New York City by the city’s mayor. An estimated crowd of 100,000 turn out.
1933	On April 7, 1933 the legalization of beer takes effect via the 21st Amendment repealing the 18th.
1933	31 brewers back in operation by June.
1934	756 brewers back in operation.
1935	Canned beer introduced by American Can Company and Krueger Brewing Co. of Newark, New Jersey on June 24.
1935	Schlitz introduces cone top can produced by Continental Can Company.
1940	Beer production at level of pre prohibition years with half the number of breweries in operation as in 1910.
1940	Barrel tax raised from $5.00 to $6.00.
1941	All brewers' associations united under the United States Brewers' Association.
1943	Brewers are required to allocate 15% of their production for military use.
1944	Barrel tax raised to $8.00.
1950	407 breweries in operation.
1951	Barrel tax raised to $9.00
1954	First l6oz can introduced by Schlitz.
1959	Aluminum can introduced by Coors of Golden, Colorado.
1961	230 breweries in operation. Only 140 are independently run.
1962	Tab top can introduced by Pittsburgh Brewing Company.
1965	"Ring Pull" can introduced.
1969	Canned beer outsells bottled beer for the first time.
1969	Fritz Maytag takes ownership of the Anchor Brewing Co. in San Francisco, CA.
1971	Philip Morris Co. acquires Miller Brewing Co.
1976	The New Albion Brewery is opened, known as America's first "Micro Brewery", or "Craft Brewery".
1978	Jimmy Carter signs HR 1337 making home brewing legal.
1982	Yakima Brewing and Malting Co., Inc., is allowed to sell its beer at its own bar on premises and the Brew Pub is born.
1983	In January, 51 brewing concerns are operating a total of 80 breweries.
1983	The top six breweries (Anheuser-Busch, Miller, Heileman, Stroh, Coors, and Pabst) control 92% of U. S. beer production.
1984	44 Brewing concerns are operating a total of 83 breweries.
1990	The Sierra Nevada Brewery in Chico, CA becomes the first start up micro brewery to break out of that classification (considered 25,000 bbl or less) by producing 31,000 bbls. of beer.
1991	Congress raises beer tax from $9.00 to $18.00, a study found this cost 60,000 jobs.
1994	It becomes legal to put the alcohol content of beer on containers.
1995	Approximately 500 breweries are operating in the United States, and they are estimated to increase at a ratio of 3 or 4 per week.
2000	The US passes 1500 breweries for the first time since 1910.
2017	The US currently has over 3500 breweries in operation.