Why do Americans Drink Beer?

Beer is a wonderful thing.  So why doesn't the whole world produce and drink quality beer?  What's up with the Southern Hemisphere and their crappy brews?  Well, sit back in your thinking chair, and allow me to completely blow your distinguished yet fragile mind.

The best beer in the world historically comes from a handful of countries.  These abodes of ales and landmarks of lagers include Germany, the Czech Republic, Belgium, the United Kingdom, and Ireland.  Within the past three decades or so, the United States has become the newest and most prolific brewing and consuming powerhouse in the world.  According to the Brewers Association, as of July 2012 there were 2,126 breweries in the United States (American Breweries).  Compared to runner-ups Germany (1,250 breweries) and the UK (about 1,000 breweries), the US is the clear global winner in total beer production. 

In terms of global beer consumption, our rank in the world depends on what stat you want to use.  If we use liters per capita, the Czech Republic is the world's victor at 156.9 liters per person annually.  However, in absolute terms, the US blows the Czech Republic out of the water at about 25.5 billion liters compared to 1.6 billion.  'Merica!!

America FTW, Brother!!!!

So how did we become such a global beer behemoth?  Well, like all things good it's mostly due to a combination of hop geography and immigration.  Over the years, hops replaced herbs as the integral flavoring and aromatic component of brewing.  It just so happens, that most hop varieties grow best between the 47th and 51st lines of latitudes north.  Within these parameters lie Southern Germany (Hallertau and  Tettnanger used in most German beers), Bohemia, Czech Republic (Saaz, used in pilseners), and Southern England (Goldings and Fuggles used in most British and Irish ales). In all of the above countries, beer is king.  If we traverse the 47th line latitude southbound, we begin to enter the European wine zone (France, Portugal, Italy, Spain, Greece).  These dry Mediterranean countries have perfect climates for grape varietal growing, but not so much for rearing hops like their northern Euromates (as of right now, that's a word).

Hops growing in the Hallertau area of Bavaria. 

Once we know where hops and consequentially beer as we know it Today come from, it's not difficult to see why Americans love the suds so much.  I would bet that you are partly or even wholly an ancestral product of immigrants from the UK, Ireland, or Germany, all of which grow lovely hops and produce great beer.  Along with muskets, powdered wigs, and a cesspool of foreign diseases, our European ancestors also imported the centuries-old art of brewing.

These guys look fun to hang out with but probably reek some major Colonial B.O.

Iconic American breweries such as Anheuser-Busch (makers of Budweiser named after the town Budweis in the Czech Republic where Busch was inspired to brew pilseners), Coors, and Miller were all started by German immigrants in the 19th Century.

If we fast-forward a bit to the late 20th Century, the American micro-brew movement begins America's second revolution, in which we began to innovate and create distinctly American styles of beer using native American grown hops primarily grown in the Northwest Pacific states of California, Oregon, and Washington.  With breweries like Sierra Nevada and Anchor spearheading the craft-brew movement, America soon becomes the world's leader in the total number of breweries and annual barrel production.

Kenn Grossman: American craft-brew demigod and founder/owner of the highly influential Sierra Nevada Brewery

And so that brings us to Today, when new breweries like Mayday continue to pop up on a daily basis all over the country.  America always has been and always will be a beer country, and for that, I am most grateful.  If this post didn't get your patriotic juices flowing, then you are either a sleeper cell Russian spy or you prefer wine, both of which are serious offenses.

USA, USA, USA!!

 Until next time, friends.