America is a nation of beer drinkers, and that beer is lager. The fact that we call this “domestic” beer, even though it's traditionally German and brewed worldwide, reinforces the idea that there is a typical American beer, and that beer is something that ends with the word “lite.” You can say that you're not a fan of it but if you've ever worn a uniform, you're part of the problem. Through beer rationing and buying power, the U.S. military had a major influence in making light lager America's default beer.
This story starts with a failed revolution halfway around the world, but we'll get to that in a minute. America was a country of immigrants who brought their beer traditions with them. In colonial America, those immigrants were mostly English, and they brewed ale. Today, ale is trendy, but for a colonist it was terrible beer. It's thick and heavy, with high alcohol content. On the upside, it brewed in a couple of days, but it goes bad just as quickly. The warmer climate in much of America is poorly suited to ale, which explains the old saying: If you turn your back on ale, it will go bad. Anyone who could afford to buy imported ales and stouts from England did so, making it a luxury product. No wonder most Americans preferred ciders and whiskeys.
Read Full Article »