American Beer Culture (Essay Sample)

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American Beer Culture
America is one of the most beer loving nations in the World. It is so considering the elaborate beer-making history and the over 3,000 productive breweries in the United States. Both the microbreweries and the giant breweries do the manufacture of beer in the United States. The average annual per capita beer consumption in the United States stands at 28 gallons while in 2012 alone, the nation produced 196 million barrels of beer (Black 44). The production and consumption of beer in the United States has everything to do with the American culture, which rests on freedom and liberty. Although Americans consume a considerable amount of beer annually, it is worth noting that China still leads America as far as beer production and manufacture is concerned (Yenne and Murray 236). This paper explores the American beer culture in terms of the history of American beer, its production, consumption and the key factors behind the thriving of the American beer industry.
The American beer culture and industry can be divided into three phases that include the beginnings, prohibition, post-prohibition, and the rise of small breweries. The British colonizers introduced beer in the United States and the production ensued for many years. however, the enacting of the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which took place in 1919, disturbed beer-making and consumption a great deal. It did so in the sense that it prohibited the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages and many American breweries closed shop during the period. The industry began to flourish only after the repeal of the ban where the large-scale breweries took the industry by storm. Presently, the American beer production industry is largely controlled by international syndicates such as SABMiller and Anheuser-Busch InBev although they have a longer history than other conglomerates in the industry. Even so, it is worth noting that a vast majority of the breweries that came into operation in the past half century operate on a small-scale basis (Oliver 116).
Concerning the beer styles America has three major categories including, the pre-prohibition styles, the modern craft styles, and the malt liquor & pale lager. The pre-prohibition styles are fundamentally the indigenous beer styles in the United States and the common ones include cream ale, Kentucky common beer, California common beer, and blonde ale. When it comes to the contemporary craft styles, it is worth noting that a number of beer styles have emerged in the United States, particularly in the past half century. This can be attributed to the liberalization of the beer market and the American beer culture that has been more pronounced in the last four decades as compared to the previous centuries (Oliver 116). A number of brewing companies, both large-scale and small-scale, have sprouted in America in the recent past due to the beer-loving culture of Americans. The other beer styles include the malt liquor and pale lager that continue to dominate the U.S. beer market. Pale lager has remained the dominant beer style in the United States although a myriad of other styles have emerged in recent past. Several beer festivities take place in America on an annual basis in order to celebrate various breweries and beer styles. The Great American Beer Festival (GABF) is one of the most celebrated beer competitions in America (Yenne and Murray 236).
Although Americans consume all sorts of beer, the American Lager remains their favorite style of beer. Most breweries in the United States produce this style of beer in an attempt to quench the Americans’ insatiable thirst for beer. The American Lager is pale just like any other Lager but it has a distinctive taste to it that make it the preference of most Americans. Small breweries in the United States produce a wide range of beer styles that complement the American Lager including California common, cream ale, and amber ale. More recently, such small crafts have focused on such beer styles as India Pale Lager, American Pale Ale, Black IPA, and the American IPA. The numerous styles of beer in the American beer market imply the American beer culture (Crouch 25-27).
Beer brewing is a complex process because of the numerous ingredients and processes involved in the manufacture. Suring the brewing process, the brewer can produce Ale, Lager, and Wild Yeast at various stages. The major materials for brewing include water and cereals that converts to yeast and sweet water. The process be...