Before you take another sip of your hazy grapefruit milkshake sour IPA, understand that craft beer is on a journey that started with humble beginnings. Prior to craft beer becoming the phenomenon it is today, American craft beer traversed amendments, Prohibition, bold entrepreneurs, acquisitions, and at least one Recession (and Brut IPAs...how was that a thing?).
Early History of Craft Beer
One of the most significant moments in the history of beer was the Prohibition era. The Eighteenth Amendment to the US Constitution was enacted into law on January 16, 1919. Thus began the era when manufacturing, selling, and transportation of alcoholic beverages was declared illegal (can you imagine this happening today?!)
All legal breweries came to a screeching halt and soon took to producing non-alcoholic beverages to keep themselves afloat. These breweries started manufacturing malt-syrup, near beer, colas, and root beers….coincidentally, a lot of breweries have started doing this again! i.e. sparkling waters, kombuchas, and NA beers.
It took 13 years and multiple acts to repeal the Prohibition, ending with the Twenty-first Amendment. Once beer was legalized again, the journey to more flavorful beers started, a journey that was not really planned.
1979: President Jimmy Carter Legalized Homebrewing
Prior to Jimmy Carter’s presidency, homebrewing was surreptitiously conducted in garages and backyards, but in 1979, the world was modernized and Congress passed the H.R. 1337, a bill that repealed any restrictions and taxes towards homebrewing. The bill then came into effect when President Jimmy Carter signed it into law. As soon as the H.R.1337 was passed, America saw its first Brewers Association and the American Home Brewers Association come into existence.
In 1978, there were about 89 breweries in the U.S.
1990s: The Microbrewery Boom
In the period between 1985-1997, the microbrewery scene saw a boom like never before. With 20+ percent growth year over year, there was no stopping the craft beer business. People soon started seeing the potential, especially, because the early craft brewery owners were extremely successful. The Boston Beer Company even went public on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in the year 1995! This brought in a new wave of investors who wanted to imbibe in the rapidly growing business.
By the end of 2020, there were over 8,000 breweries in the U.S.
Where We Are Today
While sales of all-time favorites and national flagship brands shrink, beer lovers have started experimenting with new flavors and styles (e.g. hazy IPAs, Fruit Smoothie Beers, seltzers, etc). In this case, consolidation has not crushed innovation; it has, in a way, fueled it. Brewers have realized their consumers have a strong desire to experiment with new flavors, and they are merely obliging them – even if this requires producing lesser volume but greater breadth of offerings. Gone are the days where a brewery could rely on a handful of ‘flagship’ beers!
Autumn Arch Beer Project, along with most of the other Delaware craft breweries, would not be where we are today without the strong growth in U.S. craft beer. Today, we have 15 different types of brews on our menu ranging from 3 varieties of IPAs, a couple Lagers, two imperial stouts and a sour or two...this is definitely a step up from the typical 1995 microbrewery menu! The team at Autumn Arch is constantly striving to create new and complex flavors, and this is not only the key to growing in a dynamic industry, but it’s been the key to craft beer's success over the past 40 years. Embrace the change!
From Source: Craft Beer in America: The History and Development | Microbrewery.com
From Source: The Illustrated History of Craft Beer in America | First We Feast
