Craft Beer History Timeline

Fritz Maytag

Fritz Maytag rescued the failing Anchor Brewing Company in San Francisco. Its flagship, Anchor Steam Beer, was widely recognized as the first American “craft” beer. It was later joined by Anchor Porter, Anchor IPA, Old Foghorn Barleywine and the annual holiday release, Our Special Ale.

1965

The Cascade hop was first introduced to the brewing industry as an aroma hop. Anchor Brewing in San Francisco was the first brewery to use the hop commercially in 1975. It went on to become the most widely used hop in American craft brewing.

1976

Along with co-owners Jane Zimmerman and Suzy Stern, retired navy man Jack McAuliffe built his own small brewing system and opened New Albion Brewing, the first microbrewery in the United States. The venture only lasted seven years.

1976

1977

British writer Michael Jackson published The World Guide to Beer, a seminal work that introduced readers to the concept of beer “styles”.

President Carter signed HR-1337, a bill that made homebrewing legal in the U.S. The law went into effect on February 1st, 1979, spawning a generation of people making their own beer at home -many of whom went on to open their own microbreweries.

1978

Charles Finkel founded Merchant du Vin which introduced Americans to Belgian Trappist beers, Orval, Westmalle, and Rochefort, Lindeman’s lambics, Samuel Smith Ales and Ayinger among others. In 1989, he and his wife Rose Ann, founded Pike Place Brewing in Seattle.

1979

1978

Nuclear engineer Charlie Papazian founded the American Homebrewers Association. In 1979 he founded the Association of Brewers (now called the Brewers Association), of which the AHA is now a part.

Fireman Tom De Bakker and his wife, Jan, opened the second craft brewery in the U.S. (De Bakker Brewing) in Novato, California.

1979

Two University of Colorado professors started the Boulder Brewing Company, Colorado’s first craft brewery. The original brewery site was a small farm northeast of Boulder; the brewhouse residing in a shed originally built to house goats.

1979

All About Beer magazine, a print publication for beer consumers, was founded by Mike and Bunny Bosak. After changing ownership a number of times, AAB has found new life in digital form; articles and podcasts can be found online and in social media.

1979

In Chico, California, brewing entrepreneurs Ken Grossman and Paul Camusi brewed the first batch of Sierra Nevada beer. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale became the exemplar for the American Pale Ale style.

1980

1981

Bill Newman opened the William S. Newman Brewing Company in Albany, New York, arguably the first microbrewery east of the Rocky Mountains.

1981

The first Great American Beer Festival (GABF) was held in conjunction with the American Homebrewers Association’s annual conference in Boulder, Colorado. It featured 24 participating breweries and 47 different beers.

1982

1982

Bert Grant opened Yakima Brewing & Malting in Yakima, Washington, the first brewpub in the United States since Prohibition.

1983

Bill Owens opened Buffalo Bill's Brewery as California’s first brewpub, in Hayward.

Larry Bell opened a homebrew supply store in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Two Years later he launched the Kalamazoo Brewing Company (later known as Bell’s Brewery).

1983

Samuel Adams Boston Lager was introduced in Boston. Though not a bricks-and-mortar brewery at the time, Sam Adams became very influential in the craft beer industry.

1984

1987

David Keene opened the Toronado Pub in San Francisco, a pioneering “beer bar” in the U.S.

Ed and Carol Stoudt opened Stoudt’s Brewery in Adamstown, Pennsylvania. Carol became the first woman owner/brewer at a craft brewery in the U.S.

1987

Brothers Jim and Russ Klisch opened Lakefront Brewery in Milwaukee, a “Frankenstein operation” consisting almost entirely of equipment that had lived and died in a previous life. They sold their first barrel of beer to a tavern “within rolling distance” of the brewery.

1987

This year saw the debut of the greatest class of craft breweries, including Rogue (Ashland, Oregon), Vermont Pub & Brewery (Burlington, Vermont), Great Lakes (Cleveland, Ohio), Brooklyn (Brooklyn, New York), Goose Island (Chicago, Illinois), Deschutes (Bend, Oregon) and Wynkoop (Denver, Colorado).

1988

1988

Oregon beer writer, Fred Eckhardt, self-publishes The Essentials of Beer Style booklet.

British beer writer Michael Jackson launches The Beer Hunter video series, which appears on cable TV, and exposes thousands of Americans to a several new craft breweries and a variety of beer styles.

1989

Charlie Otto of the draught-only Otto Brothers Brewery in Wyoming, is credited with the introduction of the ubiquitous half-gallon glass jug “Growler” for beer-to-go.

1989

1991

Kim Jordan and Jeff Lebesch found New Belgium Brewing in Ft. Collins, Colorado. Fat Tire Amber Ale becomes a staple in the craft beer market.

Belgian transplant Pierre Celis introduces Witbier to the United States with his groundbreaking Celis White Beer. Witbier (or White Beer) became one of the most popular new beer styles in America.

1992

Though the actual year is debatable, Goose Island Brewery in Chicago, is the first to produce a commercially made Bourbon barrel-aged beer. Its long-term effect on the industry is indisputable.

1993

What had previously been illegal, the inclusion of alcohol content in beer advertising and on packaging was finally made legal.

1994

Brewer Keith Villa formulated the recipe for Blue Moon White Beer (then known as “Belly Slide Wit”) for The Sandlot Brewery inside Coors Field in Denver, Colorado.

1995

1998

The first Boonville Brewfest is held in Boonville California, organized by the original owners of the brewery.

Oskar Blues Brewery in Longmont, Colorado, is the first craft brewery to can their flagship beer, Dale’s Pale Ale. Many craft breweries followed their lead.

2002

2003

About a decade after the first barrel aged beer is produced, the Festival of Wood and Barrel Aged Beer (also known as FOBAB) debuts in Chicago.

American Craft Beer Week was officially recognized by the U.S. Congress, highlighting its significance in the nation’s culture and economy. This acknowledgement was a milestone, celebrating the contributions of craft brewers to the richness and diversity of American beer.

2006

Chicago’s Goose Island Brewery is sold to Anheuser-Busch for a reported $38 million dollars. It is the first of many marquee craft brands to be bought out by A-B/InBev.

2007

Brewer Teri Fahrendorf created the Pink Boots Society to “Assist, inspire and encourage women and non-binary individuals in the fermented/alcoholic beverage industry to advance their careers through education.” PBS now has over 74 chapters with over 2,000 members.

2007

Brewer, author and beer judge, Ray Daniels, launches the Cicerone Program, which teaches thousands of people around the world about beer. It becomes the global beer equivalent to the Wine Sommelier program.

2007

The first Hazy IPA, Heady Topper, is introduced by the Alchemist Brewery in Waterbury, Vermont. Within a few years, this new “style” sweeps across the U.S., inexorably changing the craft beer landscape.

2013

The Brewers Association amended its definition of “Craft Brewer” by dropping the requirement that craft beer be made from at least 50% barley. This opened the doors to long-time American regional brewers D.G. Yuengling, August Schell, Point, and Narragansett joining the craft brewing community.

2014

San Diego-based brewer, Ballast Point, is sold to distributor Constellation Brands for $1 Billion dollars. Four years later it was sold to Kings and Convicts (a Chicago area brewing company) for an undisclosed amount.

2015

East Coast brewers Boston Beer Company and Dogfish Head Brewery entered into a merger to stave off rapid consolidation and acquisition of craft breweries by industry giants. The deal is valued at $300 Million in cash and stock.

2019

2020

The global Covid-19 pandemic leads to sweeping changes in the way craft breweries conduct business. Over the following years, the financial fallout from the pandemic forces the closing of hundreds of small breweries across the country, and industry growth stagnates.

The introduction of seltzers and other flavored malt beverages to the market, impinges on craft beer sales and market share. Many breweries begin producing seltzers and FMBs at various levels of success; the practice wanes almost as quickly as it began.

2020

2022

The iconic Hales Ales in Seattle closed after 39 years (it opened in 1983).

The Black Brewers Association (NB2A) is established, in part, to “Foster understanding about the history and legacy of African American brewing in the United States.”

2022

2023

The venerable Anchor Brewery in San Francisco announces its inevitable closure. No buyers come forward to save it for a second time.

The American Craft Beer Hall of Fame is launched and the inaugural class of members is inducted.

2024