History Of Craft Beer & Top Brews For American Craft Beer Week
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American Craft Beer Week is held the second full week of May; this year, May 12-18. Its founders call it the “Official Start of Beer Season.” Does beer need a season, much less an official start? We think not, but we are taking the opportunity to explain the craft beer movement in the U.S.: How, since 1980, we went from being a nation of large national brewers and regional brewers to one with nearly 10,000 craft brewers. Craft beer sales currently make up nearly a quarter of the $117 billion U.S. beer market ((24.7%), it’s clear that what started as a niche movement in 1978 has exploded into a full-blown economic (and cultural) force. The history of the American craft beer movement follows along with America’s top craft beer cities and a “Top 20” list of suggested beers to try. But first: > The history of craft beer (below). > Craft beer vs. indie beer (below). > The different types of beer: a photo glossary. > All the beer holidays (there are 38 so far). > The difference between beer and ale. We have chosen not to structure the list in terms of size or industry influence, but in alphabetical order. It makes it easier for us to pick out which ones we still need to try! The roots of the modern* craft brewing movement began in 1978, when President Jimmy Carter signed a bill that legalized homebrewing at the federal level. Americans began to experiment with brewing small batches of beer at home, and retailers sprouted up to provide the supplies they needed. The pioneering craft breweries faced significant challenges, from sourcing ingredients to creating distribution networks. And then, how to educate consumers about many styles of beer styles beyond light lagers Americans had been drinking for decades (Budweiser, Coors, Miller, etc). Also note that in the first decades of craft brewing, there was limited distribution outside of the breweries’ region. Their persistence laid the groundwork for the 10,000 craft breweries operating in the U.S. today, so let’s give them a shout-out: 1965: Anchor Brewing Company, San Francisco. Anchor actually was founded in 1896 in San Francisco. But by the 1960s it was a languishing regional brewer, in dire financial straits and on the verge of closing, when Fritz Maytag (heir to the appliance fortune) purchased and revitalized it. Maytag is often credited as the grandfather of American craft brewing. The quality of his flagship Anchor Steam lager was the superior alternative to mass-produced lagers and jump-started the interest in craft beer. Alas, it finally did close in 2023. See photo #13, at the bottom of the page. 1976: New Albion Brewing Company, Sonoma, California by Jack McAuliffe. Widely considered America’s first modern microbrewery, it was short-lived (closing 1982) but created the template for small-scale commercial brewing. 1979: Boulder Beer Company (Boulder, Colorado), was Colorado’s first microbrewery (it initially operated as Boulder Brewing Company). 1980: Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. (Chico, California) was founded by Ken Grossman and Paul Camusi. They pioneered the use of American-grown hops, which provide a distinctly different flavor profile than European hops. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale helped to define American craft beer (photo #11). 1981: Redhook Ale Brewery (Seattle, Washington), was one of the Pacific Northwest’s earliest craft breweries. 1983: Mendocino Brewing Company (Hopland, CA, 1983) was America’s first brewpub to be established since Prohibition. (The original town, Sanel, was renamed Hopland when from the 1870s to the mid-1950s, much of the region’s economy was based on growing hops.) 1984: Boston Beer Company (Boston, Massachusetts) was founded by Jim Koch. His Samuel Adams Boston Lager helped to bring craft beer to national prominence (photo #4). 1986: Geary Brewing Company (Portland, Maine), founded by David and Karen Geary, was Maine’s first craft brewery to open after Prohibition. Some cities and states have crafted impressive reputations as home to the best breweries in the country. Not only do they make great beer that delivers hometown pride, but their success has boosting local economies and attracted tourism. Researchers at Homebase analyzed 70 top beer cities by comparing brewery counts (sourced from Homebase, BeerAdvocate, Brewers Association, and CraftBeer.com) against each city’s 21+ population to find the highest brewery density. They then scored all 50 states using five brewery-related metrics†. The results: The Biggest Craft Beer Cities in the U.S. The five top craft beer cities, based on brewery density, are,in order: The States Where Craft Beer is Thriving Based on five industry factors (see the †footnote): > You can read the whole study here. The craft beer industry has seen significant consolidation in recent years, with many formerly independent breweries now owned by larger corporations or investment groups. The terms indie beer and craft beer are often used interchangeably, but they have a major distinction: ownership. The Brewers Association defines craft beer as that produced by breweries that producing under 6 million barrels annually, with some exceptions (see third bullet). The brewery: Indie brewers emphasize complete independence from corporate ownership. The term has gained in popularity as many craft breweries have been purchased by major brewing conglomerates and practice “craft washing,” marketing the craft brands as if they’re still small independent operations. Thus, indie brewers: A toast for all beer: While “Cheers!” is the most common toast with drinks, “Prost,” in German, is specifically a toast for beer. Most Americans live within 10 miles of a craft brewery. Check the brewfinder to find what’s nearest to you. |
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 [13] Anchor Brewing Company, the San Francisco-based brewery founded in 1896 and known for its iconic Anchor Steam beer, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in July 2023 and ceased operations. However, there may be a rebirth: Hamdi Ulukaya, founder and CEO of Chobani, acquired Anchor Brewing in May 2024 with plans to revive the historic brewery. ________________ The 1960s saw the tail end of major regional brewers, before massive consolidation took hold in the 1970s and 1980s. During this decade, there were still around 150 brewing companies operating in the US, down from thousands before Prohibition but far more than would exist by the late 1970s when the number dropped to about 40. The industry was already characterized by light lagers with minimal flavor differentiation, setting the stage for the later craft beer reaction. The major players in the 1960s, before consolidation began, were Anheuser-Busch (Budweiser, St. Louis), Carling (Canada), Coors (Golden, Colorado), Falstaff (St. Louis), Miller (Milwaukee), Pabst (Milwaukee), Rheingold (Brooklyn, New York), Schaefer (New York), and Schlitz (Milwaukee). †State rankings are based on five industry-specified ranking factors: (1) the number of breweries per 100,000 drinking-age residents, (2) the gallons of craft beer produced annually per drinking-age resident, (3) the economic impact (per resident), (4) the % year-over-year in the number of brewery employees, and (5) the % year-over–change in hours worked by brewery employees. ††The largest craft brewers by production volume, as of the end of 2024, are (1) D.G. Yuengling & Son [Pottsville, PA], (2) Boston Beer Co. [Boston, MA], (3) Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. [Chico, CA], (4) Duvel Moortgat USA [Brewery Ommegang, Firestone Walker, Boulevard]. (5) CANarchy Craft Brewery Collective [Oskar Blues, Cigar City, etc.], (6) New Belgium Brewing Co. [now owned by Lion Little World Beverages, a subsidiary of Kirin Holdings], (7) Artisanal Brewing Ventures [Victory, Southern Tier, Sixpoint]. (8) Bell’s Brewery [also owned by Lion Little World Beverages], (9) Stone Brewing Co. [Escondido, CA – now majority owned by Sapporo], and Deschutes Brewery [Bend, OR].
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