Event details
How did a country once known for light industrial lagers become the global engine of hop-forward innovation? In this one-hour webinar, we explore the remarkable evolution of American beer - from 19th-century German immigrant brewing traditions to the explosive rise of craft beer to Citra-driven IPAs.
Until about forty years ago, many Americans didn’t believe they had a beer culture. The mass-market lagers produced by names like Schlitz, Miller and Coors were not prized for their character. Yet that perception obscured a much deeper story.
German immigrants introduced the United States to their world-famous lager traditions in the mid-19th century, laying foundations that would later shape a brewing renaissance. Events such as Prohibition, mass industrialisation and even the rise of the tin can all played a role in shaping modern American beer.
Beginning in the 1980s, the craft brewing era introduced an entirely new way of thinking about and brewing beer. Rarely do we witness the birth of a new national brewing tradition – but that is precisely what happened in the United States. The result was a hop-driven revolution that would go on to influence brewing cultures around the world.
Speaker
Jeff Alworth is an award-winning journalist and author of several books, including The Beer Bible and The Secrets of Master Brewers. In addition to his writing, he has taught university courses on the business of beer, and regularly leads educational tastings and events. In the spring of 2024, Jeff helped found the nonprofit Celebrate Oregon Beer to promote the state’s brewing and hop-growing industries, and serves as the organization’s executive director.
