Pictured above, top center, is Dr. Alison Feeney, Professor of Geography and Earth Sciences at Shippensburg University, and a slide from her interesting and informative presentation about beer; especially the breweries of Pennsylvania.
Eric Gladhill introduced our guest, with a story about receiving her book, For the Love of Beer, and having it autographed when he met her at a happy hour meeting of the Harrisburg Keystone Rotary Club. Alison told us how she loves to talk about craft beer in PA, and she related the fact that, as of March, 2020, there were 380 breweries in PA!
She gave a brief history on beer, saying that it really was the start of civilization; before there were wheels, for example, there was beer. Then in the 10th or 11th century, the monks started realizing the application of science to the brewing process. In 1516 the Germans created a purity law which stated that beer can only have three ingredients: water, barley and hops. The importance of yeast was not known at the time and was naturally-occurring in the beers being brewed.
When the New World was being colonized, the colonists knew how important beer was. It was pure and not contaminated like many of the water sources in Europe, so they brought many barrels along with them on the ships coming over. When they arrived, they usually built shelter, churches and breweries; in that order.
Alison assisted one of her students with a project which traced existing properties in western Franklin County back to the original land patents, they found Last Wills of Testament that transferred the two main items of value to the heirs; land and brewing equipment. The settlers didn't have much money, so these appear to be the only things of value that were worth mentioning. The land normally went to the sons and the brewing equipment went to women in the family.
Many of the early settlers were brewing ales, which is more adapted to warmer temperatures, but when more Germans moved into PA, around 1840, they brought their method of brewing lager, which requires cooler temperatures for fermenting.
In 1865 lagers out-produced ales for the first time in PA. From 1965-1920 PA dominated the brewing industry, out-numbering NYC.
Then came the age of mass-produced beers. In 1878 Anheuser Busch was shipping beer globally. Then in 1979 the beginnings of craft beer can be traced to the act that was passed under Jimmy Carter to allow home brewing. As people started brewing good beers at home, they started their own breweries and the golden age of beer was started.
Around the year 2014-2016 the craft brewing was seeing a great surge in PA, and the state was declared number one in the USA for sales of craft beer in 2016.
Alison pointed out the many areas of the state that are nearby, such as, Hanover and York, where the breweries are plentiful, but she also said that the city of Phoenixville is the most densely populated area per capita, of breweries.
She ended her presentation by pointing out that cider is another brewed beverage and that Adams County has some of the best ciders in the world (according to some cider experts in England).
Editor's note: This is truly the best time to live for a beer aficionado! We can find almost any style of beer made anywhere in the world, and they are all being made right here in Pennsylvania! Plus there are so many good varieties of India Pale Ales being developed every day!