| Before the Eighteenth Amendment (prohibition) was | | | | yeast. Most of the rest of the world (including the |
| ratified in 1919 thousands of breweries in the U.S. | | | | U.S.) prefers their beer filtered. These brews are |
| successfully brewed beer. Most was much heavier | | | | much more difficult to store and ship compared to |
| than the beer we drink today. With the onset of | | | | the more common filtered beers. But, a great many |
| prohibition many of these breweries shut down as | | | | Europeans just prefer the taste of a "live" beer. Most |
| their markets ceased to exist. Some were successful | | | | beer is matured for relatively short times (a few |
| in converting to bottling soft drinks or other | | | | weeks to a few months) compared to wine, but |
| businesses. These businesses included, in some cases, | | | | some of the stronger ales develop character and |
| secretly supplying beer to the black market. Not | | | | flavor for a much longer time. If they are left |
| surprisingly, this bootlegged beer was often watered | | | | unopened, and kept under the right conditions, some |
| down to increase profits. This was the beginning of a | | | | ales will continue to age gracefully for several years. |
| trend of the American beer drinker preferring lighter | | | | Some breweries that began as very small business |
| tasting beers. After the repeal of prohibition in 1933 | | | | have developed into huge multinational companies |
| less than half this number of breweries reopened. In | | | | selling dozens of brands around the globe. There are |
| the years since then, consolidation of breweries and | | | | also many thousands of smaller producers in the |
| the application of industrial quality control standards | | | | business of brewing and selling beer, from regional |
| have led to the mass-production and the | | | | breweries to microbreweries who often sell their |
| mass-marketing of the light lagers American drinkers | | | | product in a single store front tavern. Technical |
| now prefer. Large brewing companies bought their | | | | advances in refrigeration, increased speed and |
| rivals, often just for their customers and distribution | | | | reliability in international and transcontinental shipping, |
| systems and would shut down their brewing | | | | as well as more sophisticated marketing and |
| operations. Especially since WW II, advertising, | | | | advertising have all resulted in a vibrant international |
| whether TV, print, or radio has become even more | | | | marketplace, with hundreds of choices between |
| important in selling beer and the bigger companies | | | | various styles of local, regional, national and foreign |
| had the deep pockets to take advantage. Since | | | | beers. Modern breweries are now able to brew many |
| about the 1980s smaller brewing companies, including | | | | different types of beer and traditional brewing |
| the microbreweries or "craft brewers" as they are | | | | techniques have been highly automated and are still |
| sometime known and brands imported from | | | | used to help maintain the taste of the final brew. In |
| overseas have become more important in the U.S. | | | | spite of this attempt at maintaining historical taste |
| market. In fact, by 1997 there were more breweries | | | | quality, many serious beer drinkers prefer to home |
| in business in the U.S. than in Germany. A recent | | | | brew their own beer to get the quality they desire. |
| count put the number of breweries of all types | | | | Some smaller, more traditional brewers have been |
| operating in the U.S. at almost 1400. | | | | very reluctant to embrace new technology for this |
| As you would suspect most European nations have | | | | same fear of losing the traditional taste |
| brewing traditions dating back as far as can be | | | | characteristics of their beer. A good example of this |
| researched. Domestic brands of beer are especially | | | | are the Belgian "lamibic" beers which expose the |
| important drinks in Belgium, Germany, Ireland, and the | | | | brew recipe to outside air to include the natural "wild" |
| United Kingdom, Other European nations like France, | | | | yeasts, said to exist only in the Senne valley, in the |
| the Scandinavian countries, and the Czech Republic, | | | | fermentation process. This traditional brewing |
| also have strong and unique brewing traditions with | | | | technique leaves the beer to ferment for up to three |
| their own history, characteristic brewing methods, | | | | years. This process allows a waxy cap to form on |
| and styles of beer. Europe also boasts a large market | | | | top of the recipe with gives the brew some |
| for unfiltered, unpasteurized beer containing live | | | | protection from oxidation. |
