Jamestown Colony 1607 Early Grain Mill 17th Century

1607 – Jamestown is founded without a brewer and must send back to obtain one First shipment of beer arrives to sustain the colony

1613 – Dutch Brewery Block and Christiansens opens in New Amsterdam. A year later the first non-native is born in this brewery. Jean Vigne grows up to be a brewer.

1620 – Make shift ale being brewed with Maize method taught by Native Americans

1630 - Pious Pilgrims have to stretch recipes due to resource scarcity

1638 – Beer ration for sailors in New England set for 1 Quart a day

Early Sailor’s Tankard

1636 – John Harvard draws up brewery plans for his new college

1639 – Harvard’s President John Eaton is dismissed for mistreating students after they revolt over beer rationing

1640 – Colonial Taverns help drive western expansion

1644 – Governor of New Sweden writes to complain of the negative impact of the cost of imported brewing materials

1667 – Harvard writes school standards for brewing small and strong beers

Early American Tavern

1660 – First brand name brewery opens – Red Lion Brewery

1675 – Cotton Mather (author) reports that every other building in Boston is an Ale House

1686 – Increase Mather appointed Harvard’s president and he enforces strict beer code to ensure student happiness

Settling of the South proves problematic for beer production. Too Hot.

1693 – William and Mary establishes a brewery – fire in early 1700’s burns most of the campus to the ground. The brewery is first to be rebuilt

America’s 2nd oldest Tavern Cotton Mather Increase Mather

1645-1700’s – Workplace beer rations are slowing momentum of building and expansion. New laws come and go regularly but none succeed in curbing this ration.

1740s – South begins trading tobacco for beer. 40 pounds per gallon

1756 – Beer is everywhere. 156 licensed taverns in Boston

18th Century – Southern Taverns serve as Courthouses and political centers

1764 – Revenue Act imposed on liquor by the crown – this pushes colonists into higher beer, wine and mead consumption

Tobacco Farm Early Tavern / Courthouse

1765 – Stamp Act requires all taverns pay a tax and must display a stamp on their licenses imported kegs are taxed as well. Immediately founding fathers form Stamp Act Congress at the Green Dragon Tavern – Homebrewing thrives – Refusal to buy goods forces Acts repeal

1768 – Townshend Acts bring about search and seizure along with a tax on all imported beer. John Adams and James Otis write a protest letter. The Crown demands that the Massachusetts Assembly rescind the letter. Assembly votes 92 to 17 against it and 92 becomes a very patriotic number.

1769 – Philadelphians refuse heavily taxed malt shipment on the “Charming Polly” they said that they never ordered it.

1770 – Boston Massacre – “The crowd continued to harass the soldiers and began to throw snow balls and other small objects at the soldiers. Private Hugh Montgomery was struck down onto the ground by a club wielded by Richard Holmes, a local tavernkeeper.”

1770 – Townshend acts are repealed except for the tax on tea. Crown leaves Tea Tax to prove that it is still in power.

Dec. 16th 1773- Over barrels of ale at the Green Dragon Tavern that were generously donated by Hancock the Sons of Liberty Gather to demonstrate their displeasure of the Crown’s heavy handedness

1774 – Crown responds with the Intolerable Acts and the port of Boston was shut down. This cut off Boston’s Beer supply form England. The fellow colonies respond “We will not hereafter, directly or indirectly import, or cause to be imported, from Great Britain, any of the goods hereafter enumerated, either for sale or our own use, … beer, ale , porter, malt”

Sept 4th 1774 - Convention held at tavern in Philadelphia to discuss next steps

May 10th 1775 – Second Continental Congress meets

Nov. 4th 1775 – Continental Congress passes a resolution establishing 1 quart of beer per day per soldier

Revolutionary War

200-300 Barrels per day for 10,000 troops = 1 Gallon per troop per day

June 30th 1787 – Indian queen Tavern hosts the Constitutional Convention and this is where the house and senate are created

1789 – James Madison Introduces legislation to tax imported beer to help with war debt

1801 – James Madison writes – “I wish to see beer become common instead oof whiskey which kills one third of our citizens and ruins their families.