10 Tips to Make Craft Beer Taste Even Better

Craft beer has become such a familiar presence that convenience store shelves are now lined with a wide variety of unique brands. From the taste and aroma to the eye-catching can designs that make you want to pick them up, there are countless ways to enjoy it. Moreover, the appeal of craft beer goes far beyond just its taste and aroma.If you trace its history, you’ll discover surprising figures and events, along with stories that will leave you amazed by the brewers’ creativity. Once you learn about this background, even your usual glass of craft beer will taste a little better. In this article, we’ll share some fun facts about craft beer that you’ll want to share with others.

Fun Facts About Craft Beer #1The 1994 Revision of the Liquor Tax Act Was a Turning Point: Japan’s Craft Beer Culture Took Off From Here

The year 1994 marked a major turning point in the history of Japanese craft beer.Deregulation of the Liquor Tax Act lowered the minimum annual production volume required for a beer manufacturing license from 2,000 kl to 60 kl. This allowed small breweries to enter the beer-making industry, which had previously been impractical without large-scale facilities.Over the three years following the amendment, more than 300 breweries were established, sparking a “craft beer” boom across the country. Behind the sudden blossoming of Japan’s craft beer culture—which continues to this day—lay not only advancements in flavor and technique but also changes in the regulatory framework. (1)

Craft Beer Trivia 2Jimmy Carter Signs Law Lifting Ban on Homebrewing.The Foundation of the U.S. Craft Beer Revolution

One of the figures who cannot be overlooked when discussing American craft beer culture is, surprisingly, the 39th President, Jimmy Carter.Even after Prohibition was repealed, federal regulations on homebrewing—the practice of making beer at home—remained in place.In 1978, Carter signed a bill into law, paving the way at the federal level for people to brew beer at home for personal consumption. Subsequently, the community of homebrewers expanded, and many went on to become professional brewers.This became one of the foundations supporting the modern American craft beer revolution. (2)

Craft Beer Trivia 3During Prohibition, Illegal Liquor Derived from Industrial Alcohol Caused Cases of Blindness and Death

During the Prohibition era in the United States, which lasted from 1920 to 1933, demand for alcohol shifted to the black market, leading to the circulation of illegal liquor made by redistilling industrial alcohol.Federal authorities stepped up the denaturation of industrial alcohol to prevent its diversion for human consumption, but poisoning from liquor containing toxic substances such as methanol became a social problem.There were even cases leading to blindness and death. Recent economic history research has also pointed out that, given the significant decline in accidental deaths in urban areas following the repeal of Prohibition, highly toxic bootleg liquor may have been a factor in the rise in deaths during that period. The prehistory of the homebrewing culture that nurtured craft beer includes an era when the very freedom to brew alcohol was severely restricted.(3)

Craft Beer Trivia 4The Heir to a Washing Machine Empire Rebuilds a Brewery on the Brink of Closure: A Pioneer of the U.S. Craft Beer Revolution

Fritz Maytag is the great-grandson of the founder of the appliance manufacturer Maytag.In 1965, he acquired a 51% stake in the Anchor Brewing Company, which was on the verge of closing, and later became its sole owner. Although he had no brewing experience, he studied old brewing manuals, visited breweries in Europe, and thoroughly immersed himself in the art of beer making.Not only did he turn Anchor around, but he also introduced a series of beer styles that were rare in the United States at the time, such as porters, barley wines, and Liberty Ale—a beer that made bold use of hops. He is a pioneer of modern craft beer who demonstrated to a market dominated by mass-produced lagers that “small breweries can create unique flavors.”(4)

Craft Beer Trivia 5Continuously Adding Hops Using a Toy Football Game: The Story Behind the Creation of the Classic '60 Minute IPA'

In 1999, Sam Calagione, founder of Dogfish Head, saw a chef on a cooking show continuously sprinkling pepper in small amounts and wondered if hops could be added continuously as well. So, he modified an electric American football game he found at a thrift store.He created a mechanism that used vibrations to continuously drop small amounts of hops into the boiling kettle. The signature beer born from this technique, known as “continual hopping,” is the “60 Minute IPA,” which has hops added continuously for 60 minutes. The actual game machine used is now part of the collection at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.(5)

Craft Beer Trivia 6IPA Evolved from Pale Ale: A 'Hoppy' Ale That Gained Popularity Through Exports to India

IPA is a style that evolved from pale ale.Both are ale-style beers that allow you to enjoy the aroma and bitterness of hops, but IPAs offer a more pronounced aroma and bitterness. While their names might suggest they belong to different genres, their lineages are actually quite similar. Furthermore, the famous explanation that “IPA was invented by adding large amounts of hops to prevent the beer from spoiling during the voyage to India” is a significant oversimplification of actual history.It is closer to the truth to consider that, among the pale ales exported to India at the time, the types with a strong hop character gradually came to be recognized as IPAs. (6)

Craft Beer Trivia 7Sending Yeast into Space by Rocket.The Imperial Stout ‘Ground Control,’ Brewed After Their Return

In 2014, the American Ninkasi Brewing Company sent six types of brewing yeast into space aboard a private rocket.The Imperial Stout “Ground Control” was brewed on Earth using the yeast that returned safely. This unique creation, which also includes hazelnuts, star anise, and cacao nibs, represents an extension of the experimental spirit characteristic of craft beer all the way to space.To be precise, it is not “beer brewed in space,” but rather “beer made from yeast that traveled to space.” (7)

Craft Beer Trivia 8President Obama Purchases a Homebrewing Kit.Homebrewing Beer with White House Honey

During the Barack Obama administration, beer brewing began inside the White House in 2011.The initiative was spearheaded by then-Senior Policy Advisor Sam Kass and others, and Obama himself purchased a brewing kit. Starting with the first “White House Honey Brown Ale,” they also brewed Honey Blonde and Honey Porter. What makes this even more unique is that they used honey harvested from beehives in the White House South Lawn.According to the Smithsonian, Obama is believed to be the first president on record to have brewed beer on the White House grounds. (8)

Craft Beer Trivia #9Scientists Revive ‘King Midas’s Wine’ from About 2,700 Years Ago.Recreating Ancient Flavors with Craft Beer

Dogfish Head has partnered with archaeologist Patrick McGovern to launch “Ancient Ales,” a series that brings ancient beverages back to life.A prime example of this is “Midas Touch.” By chemically analyzing beverage residues discovered in a tomb dating to around 700 BCE—believed to be the tomb of King Midas—the brewery reconstructed the drink using a combination of barley, honey, Muscat grapes, and saffron.Strictly speaking, it’s a beverage that straddles the boundaries between modern beer, wine, and mead, but the concept of using science and craft brewing to bring a flavor from approximately 2,700 years ago into the present is truly impressive. (9)

10 Fun Facts About Craft Beer55% ABV.BrewDog’s ‘The End of History’: Challenging the ‘Limits of Beer’

In 2010, Scotland’s BrewDog released “The End of History,” which boasted an astonishing 55% ABV.Based on a Belgian-style blond ale, the alcohol content was pushed to the absolute limit through freeze-concentration. The beer also incorporated Scottish stinging nettles and juniper berries, and the limited-edition bottles were housed inside taxidermied ermine and gray squirrels.It even sparked a debate over whether a 55% ABV beer produced through freeze-concentration could still be called “beer,” but that was precisely BrewDog’s aim: to challenge conventional wisdom about “what beer is.”It can be said that this bottle embodies the freedom of craft beer in an extreme form. (10)

References

(1) The Japan Times, “Japan’s craft beer scene: 25 years in the making” (October 6, 2018)
(2) Smithsonian Magazine, “The Schoolteacher Who Sparked America’s Craft Brew Revolution”
(3) Explorations in Economic History, “Urban mortality and the repeal of federal prohibition”
(4) Craft Beer & Brewing / The Oxford Companion to Beer, “Maytag, Fritz”
(5) Smithsonian Magazine “Here’s What’s Brewing in the New Smithsonian Beer Collections” (September 16, 2019)
(6) Smithsonian Magazine “How the India Pale Ale Got Its Name” (April 7, 2015)
(7) Smithsonian Magazine, “How Do You Make Beer in Space?”
(8) Smithsonian Magazine, “How Barack Obama Became the First President to Brew Beer at the White House” (July 12, 2017)
(9) Smithsonian Magazine, “The Beer Archaeologist”
(10) Eater, “BrewDog Unveils the World’s Strongest, Squirreliest Beer Ever” (July 22, 2010)