We will never know whether beer was the happy accident of bakers, or bread was the happy accident of brewers, but we do know that perhaps 8,000 years ago wise people in several distinct cultures independently invented beer. These included Egyptians, Chinese, Africans, and several South American civilizations. While the ingredients they used varied—from grains like barley, wheat, millet and rice, to Brazilian manioc roots and maize kernels that had been pre-chewed by the brewmistresses, one thing is held common. Early cultures shared the belief that this brew, this magic of fermentation, was a gift from the heavens.

People loved beer for the magic brewing process and the mystery of the yeast, for the purity and “shelf life” of the liquid, for its intoxicating properties, and for the versatility of its recipes. Archeological sites show that beer was used in religious celebrations. Lucky corpses have been found buried with a supply of beer.

As people migrated from the Middle East to Europe they shared their brewing skills. Recipes changed according to the available, local ingredients, and notation of the Bavarian hops found in Samuel Adams® beers date back to the eighth century AD.

We know from the Mayflower’s Ship Log that part of the reason the Pilgrims came ashore in Plymouth, Massachusetts was that they were out of beer, and they had stocked enough for each man, woman and child to consume a gallon per day. The role of beer in early Colonial times goes far beyond Plymouth Rock. The very roots of the Revolution took place secretly in the taverns of New England.

The revolutionaries gathered over beer to plot their rebellion. Most of the Patriots were homebrewers. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson left recipes behind. Samuel Adams inherited a brewery in Boston from his father but clearly preferred fomenting rebellion to fermenting beer, and the brewery eventually closed. Boston became not only the cradle of liberty, but the brewing center of the United States, and at one time boasted more than 30 breweries.

Brewing has changed dramatically since 1776. The Industrial Revolution allowed for more sophisticated equipment and larger scale brewing. Electricity, modern refrigeration, and pasteurization allowed brewers to expand their distribution beyond their local areas.

The saddest chapter in beer history was Prohibition, the dreaded Volstead Act. It lasted 13 years and was mercifully repealed in 1933, but more than half of the breweries in the U.S. didn’t survive. During the next 50 years the big American brewers strengthened their dominance. Consolidation, improved transportation systems, and the increasing importance of TV advertising allowed the giants to flourish and move drinkers to ever lighter, more “drinkable” beers.

Fortunately for beer lovers a second Revolution started in Boston in the mid-1980s. Samuel Adams Boston Lager® led a charge heard round the world. Americans were again making great, flavorful beers. Soon, new beers and brewpubs were sprouting up like barley malt all over the country. The microbrew craze peaked in the late 1990s, and, it is said; only the strong survived. Today, American beers stand proud and tall in world beer competitions.

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