If you are Average Joe, the name Fritz Maytag probably reminds you of the sudsy clothes sloshing against the porthole in the front loader. He is an heir of that famous family. However, we denote a special kind of sud as we revere Fritz Maytag. This man is the reason that your beer life will change, Joe.

I will explain. On a fateful day in 1965, Frederick Louis Maytag III (or Fritz, as he is known in beer nerd circles) visited a local friend’s brewery in San Francisco that was about to close. He bought 51 percent of Anchor Brewing that day, and owned the whole kit and caboodle by 1969. Why is this important, you ask? Because this man was the first to successfully gamble on craft (or microbrewed) beer, as it would come to be known, after Prohibition. It was a beer renaissance!

It sounds so easy, doesn’t it? But Fritz didn’t just fire up the kettle and fill the procession of beer bottles. He needed to procure raw materials and equipment. Some of the larger breweries, like Coors, were helpful and generous with their advice and materials, even as they didn’t take him seriously. Fritz went to some of the family-owned breweries at the time for yeast. According to Jen Muehlbauer of the Examiner, some of these were Hamm’s, Falstaff, Lucky Lager, and Grace Brothers. Fritz bought equipment from other breweries that went out of business. By 1975, Anchor had five flavors – the original Anchor Steam, Anchor Porter, Liberty Ale, Old Foghorn Barleywine Ale, and the first seasonal, a Christmas Ale. By 1979, Anchor Brewing expanded to its current location, on Mariposa Street in San Francisco. Fritz made it in great part because of the generosity of other breweries big and small, and that tradition has not only carried on to the present day. It has also seen other brewers through their hard early years.

Before the mid-80’s, beer quality was grim indeed. British beer writer Michael Jackson noted that at the time, most independent and macro breweries produced the same style: “They are pale lager beers vaguely of the pilsener style but lighter in body, notably lacking hop character, and generally bland in palate. They do not all taste exactly the same but the differences between them are often of minor consequence.” But Fritz unwittingly changed everything. He started a beer revolution, born in California (of course!), that continued his craft brewing tradition. Some of the names coming from my favorite decade are Ken Grossman of Sierra Nevada in Chico, California; the Widmer Brothers in Portland, Oregon; and Jim Koch of Samuel Adams in Boston. These brewers knew that if people tasted flavorful beer, they would want more. But brewing beer doesn’t create instant millionaires. I’ve heard from so many brewers that it takes a small fortune to make a large fortune in the brewing industry. The profit margins are so low that it takes years to get into the black. Thus, the fledgling craft brewers of the 1980’s struggled through some very difficult economic times and hung on, establishing the foundation for craft beer.

In 1991, craft beer experienced 35 percent growth. By 1995, that number had steadily risen to 58 percent. It suffered a dip after that, but in 2004, the numbers began climbing. Demand revved again as beer drinkers recognized, and connected to, small independent breweries. We have never looked back. Even as there were eight craft breweries in 1980, there were over 1600 as of 2010. That number seems to increase daily. Now, most Americans live within ten miles of a brewery. I just moved back to South Florida from Asheville, one of craft beer’s meccas, and even I have breweries in my backyard!

Joe, the time has never been better than now to put down the bottle of macro brew, step up to the bar, gather your courage, and order a local draft. Support the local economy by spending those beer dollars on stuff that is made where you live and work, and tastes so much better than the swill in that bottle. There are still so many of you, especially here in South Florida, that drink what the commercials tell you to. Beer is food, people. I challenge you: Would you eat the same dinner every day? Time to open up to the best beer America has ever seen. I promise, you will love it. All it takes is one taste! You can do it!

Look for the modern history of homebrew, and how it continues to impact American craft beer, in my next post.

Cheers!

References:

Anchor Brewing: Our History.
http://www.anchorbrewing.com/brewery/our_history

Hieronymus, Stan. The American Story. Craft Beer.
http://www.craftbeer.com/pages/beerology/history-of-beer/the-american-story

History of Craft Brewing. Brewers Association.
http://www.brewersassociation.org/pages/about-us/history-of-craft-brewing

Muehlbauer, Jen. (March 30, 2011). Beer History: Fritz Maytag and Anchor. The Examiner.
http://www.examiner.com/craft-beer-in-oakland/beer-history-fritz-maytag-and-anchor

Not too long ago, when the grocery and convenience store shelves contained the same dozen beer brands, there was never a question what to drink. Average Joe went to the store, plucked the familiar six (or twelve, or case[s]) from the chill chest, paid, and went home with said purchases. Joe did not know that there were alternatives out there. Yeah, those weird English pubs carried some other European brands, but Joe would not drink that stuff. The commercials said that those beers would give a guy Bitter Beer Face. Plus, it was good and patriotic to drink the same stuff all the time, so that’s what Joe did, without question.

Luckily, there was someone else thinking for Joe.

Today, as I quaff my pint of Fat Tire, I understand why people have always been obsessed with beer. Historians believe that prehistoric nomadic cultures around 9000 BC made beer from grain and water before they learned how to make bread. Many also believe that Noah had beer on his Ark. Around 4300 BC, Babylonians not only made 20 varieties of beer, but it was also a highly coveted payment method for workers. It was also enjoyed by the Chinese, Egyptian, Assyrian, Hebrew and Inca cultures. All used different grains to make the beer. This points to enormous variety in beer, but it was also drank where it was made.

In 55 BC, the Romans brought beer to Northern Europe. Before the Middle Ages, women made the beer for the household, since it was seen as a food and celebration drink. But around 500 AD, beer brewing began to be centralized in monasteries and convents. This, perhaps not coincidentally, was around the time the Renaissance began. Hops were used from 1000 AD. From there, beer became commercial enterprise in England, Germany, and Austria. The Germans liked bottom-fermenting lager-style beers; the English preferred top-fermenting ales. In 1553, Beck’s Brewery was founded in Germany and is still brewing today. Queen Elizabeth drank strong ale for breakfast in the late 1500’s. Maybe that’s where the saying comes from!

By the early 1600’s, beer had reached the New World. Indeed, the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock in 1620 even though they wanted to go to Virginia – but they had run out of beer. Apparently the ship’s crew didn’t want to share the rest of theirs. They needed what was left for the journey back to England. A diary entry by William Bradford of the Mayflower explains the unintentional landing: “We could not now take time for further search…our victuals being much spent, especially our beer…” In those days, water was often rife with bacteria; the only way to drink safe beverages was by fermenting them, into beer. The Pilgrims landed and quickly learned how to brew beer with corn from the Native Americans. Thanksgiving has a bit of a different meaning with the inclusion of beer into the party!

The 1700’s brought the Industrial Revolution and in 1759, Arthur Guinness opened his brewery with ₤100. Brilliant! In 1785, Joseph Bramah invented draught beer. The following century brought the development of lagers, refrigeration and pasteurization technology, and the Women’s Christian Temperance Union. This organization greatly influenced the decision, in 1919, to amend the U.S. Constitution to outlaw the sale of intoxicating beverages. Mob and speakeasy cultures were created, along with famous jazz musicians in the clubs that served illicit beer.

In 1915, there were 1,345 breweries. In 1940, that number dropped to 684. By 1980, there were a mere 101 breweries. The declining numbers represented unprecedented industry consolidation of the main breweries, even as people drank more and more beer. In 1940, the per capita consumption of beer was 12.5 gallons per capita; by 1980, it had grown to 23.1 gallons.

Yes, Joe felt stuck drinking the same thing all the time, but that’s what the commercials told him he was supposed to do. Soon enough, however, there would be so much more to choose from.

Cheers!

References:

Percival, Sean. (2009, April 15). History Lesson: The Story of Beer.
http://www.manolith.com/2009/04/15/history-lesson-the-story-of-beer/

Raley, Linda. (1998).Beer History.
http://www.beerhistory.com/library/holdings/raley_timetable.shtml

Stack, Martin H. (2010, February 1). A Concise History of America’s Brewing Industry.
http://eh.net/encyclopedia/article/stack.brewing.industry.history.us

Allow me to introduce myself. I am Kelly Hanlon, a restaurant veteran with 20-plus years of experience doing everything from bartending, serving, managing, beverage managing, general managing, and making pizza. I have washed dishes, bussed tables, and plunged toilets. I have also assisted in the opening of two restaurants from scratch, coming up with systems and tasting beer and wine for menus as the grinding and dust of construction went on around me. It’s the family business – my mom worked in hospitality as a bartender and server for many years, and my grandparents had a club called the Gay Nineties on Long Island several decades ago. They retired to Florida, where my grandfather ran another bar, the Whistle Stop in Boca Raton. My mom was a bartender there, so it was a hangout. I fell in love with football at seven years old as I watched the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Dallas Cowboys duke it out in Super Bowl X. Next door was a fried-food take-out restaurant. You could smell it from blocks away, just like any proper fry joint. When we were hungry, we walked out the dark wood door of the Whistle into the blinding light of day and made the left through the metal screen door, which slammed loudly behind us. The place reeked fabulously of boiling oil. The cooks pounded on the wall separating our two establishments when our fries and sandwiches were ready. That must be why I still enjoy noshing in dark bars!

I moved from Florida to Atlanta in 2005. In 2008, I made my first batch of beer, a simple ale with some Amarillo hops thrown in, which smelled of delicious red grapefruit and home. The brew was drinkable! Success! Buoyed by the experience, I began brewing batches of Tupelo Honey Kolsch and Witbiers. Most recently, I brewed my first Belgian, a Dubbel, with Belgian candi sugar. There’s nothing like drinking a Belgian alongside a slice of pizza with sharp cheeses. Delicious!

Speaking of pizza, I was not the biggest fan before I took a job as a pizza cook at Earth Fare in Asheville. But once I had carte blanche to make whatever I wanted, I was smitten. Oh, the possibilities that exist on that 16-inch round of dough! I studied traditional Napoletana techniques and made doughs at home so I could understand the process. I made my own sauces and market-tested my creations. Now, I roam the streets, looking for great pizza and beer. I especially love when bars come up with the best food, and when local brewers create beers that they aren’t sure the locals will drink. But the customers make the decisions. If they love it, we put it on the menu. If it’s not so good, we try again.

I write this blog to examine the intersections of pizza and beer, but also of great beverages and food of all sorts. There is so much in this business to talk about. People want to share their experiences about food and beverages, and I want this to be a place that folks feel free to do just that.

In the immortal words of Bud Light…here we go!

Cheers!