Q:I have noticed that typical American beers tend to be much lighter than European beers. What are the reasons for this disparity?
Nearly all of America's brewing traditions came from Europe through immigration but as with all European traditions, American history has taken its toll upon them. The earliest immigrants to the colonies were English and therefore English ales, porters and stouts dominated.
Until the mid-1800s, hard cider, a British favorite, was far and away the most popular alcoholic beverage in North America.
As the 1840s rolled in, so did the Germans. The middle of the 19th century brought enough Germans to outnumber all other groups coming through our borders, bringing their beer and brewing practices with them.
The Germans brewed a colder lager beer, much different than the heavier, not to mention, warmer English styles. The country took to this new style of beer. It was easier and faster to produce, and the German immigrants were more than willing to make it. Out of the few pre-prohibition breweries that still survive today, nearly all were founded between 1850 and 1880 by German immigrants or first generation German Americans.
These breweries were producing the lager beers characteristic of Germany's millennia old brewing heritage. The popularity of beer had climbed to new heights by the end of WWI, and more than 1500 firms were producing beer in all corners of the country. One thing would get in the way of this in 1919 -- Prohibition.
Prohibition would play a key role in changing the face of American beer, effects still evident today. The demand for alcohol consumption did not diminish during this time but the government agents knew the only real use for hops was beer production. Thus large hop shipments were cause for suspicion and brewers "hopped" their beers much less.
Watering down beers, whether by the brewery or the backroom bartender, was another easy way to turn a large profit on a bootleg barrel of beer. The strains on breweries struggling to survive not only Prohibition but also the Depression forced brewers to take other measures to reduce the quality and strength of their beers. Replacing portions of malted barley with adjuncts such as corn and rice was another method used to cut costs.
Needle beer was also very popular. This involved buying non-alcoholic beer, legal at the time, and injecting pure grain alcohol --moonshine. Fourteen years proved enough time for the American populace to become accustomed to the watered down version of beer.
Attempts to reinstate original recipes often ended in failures for brewing companies. 1933 saw the reinstatement of the legality of beer, but fourteen years of bathtub brewing with adjuncts and lighter hopping was too much to reinstate the pre-Prohibition taste buds of thirsty Americans.
Chris Straub is a senior majoring in chemical engineering and is a Collegian columnist. He is also the great-great grandson of the founder of Straub Beer. His e-mail address is cts150@psu.edu.
