Chapter 1

U.S. Beer Industry

(selected excerpts)

The U.S. beer industry got its start in the 1840s and 1850s with the introduction of lager beer. Before that point, beers were heavily oriented toward ale, porter, and stout and were mostly brewed at home. At about the same time, several technological advances occurred that led to the development of the U.S. beer industry as we know it today. Mechanical refrigeration greatly aided in the production as well as the storage of beer. Pasteurization was also adopted during this period, which opened the way for wide-scale bottling and off-premise consumption of beer. In addition, developments in transportation allowed brewers to ship beer long distances in refrigerated rail cars, increasing both marketing volume and area.

Click on the following topics for more information on the U.S. beer market.

Related Topics on the U.S. Beer Industry

• Introduction to the U.S. Beer Industry
• Beer Industry Profile
• Large Breweries
• Regional Breweries
• Microbreweries and Brewpubs
• Beer Sales
• Beer Sales by Region
• Beer Sales by Largest Brewer
• Beer Cateogories
• Domestic
• Imports
• Specialty Beers
• Large Brewers
• Contract Brewing Companies
• Craft Brewers
• Beer Advertising
• Beer Distirbution
• Brewers and Importers
• Direct Sales
• Wholesalers
• Retailers
• Government Regulations of the Beer Brewing Industry
• Federal Regulations
• Basic Permits
• Breweries and Beer Production
• Labeling and Advertising
• Beer Removal and Excise Taxes
• Distribution
• Supplier/Retailer Relationships
• Trade
• State Regulations
• Production
• Taxation
• Basic permits
• Distribution
• Retailing
• Demographics of Beer Consumption
• References