Archive for the NABA Blog Category

This date marks the birth of Frank Sales Reisch in 1809. The founder of what became the F. Reisch Brothers Brewery of Springfield, Illinois started with an 8 barrel brewhouse. Later, an improved system, installed in 1900, raised the output to 100,000 barrels. Beer runs deep in the Reisch family with six generations in the industry. Although the original brewery closed, the Reisch Gold Top brand was resurrected in 2019 and won a medal at the International Beer Awards competition. Beer Fest General Admission tickets available now at MBBF.org or

Atlanta, Georgia: Sweetwater Brewing Company, the nation’s fourteenth largest craft brewer announced it will enter the Colorado market on February first. A company spokesperson of Sweetwater, which was acquired in November by Aphria Inc. a “cannabis-lifestyle” company, said it makes Colorado a perfect fit. Beer Fest General Admission tickets available now at MBBF.org or follow this link  https://northamericanbrewers.org/ticket-store/ Copyright Gregg & Lisa Smith – Their latest book “Beer Drinkers Dictionary” is available on Amazon

January 17th – A sad day for beer drinkers; it was on this date that marked the official start of prohibition. Millions of people went out the night before for the last legal beer they would have for the next 13 years. Breweries attempted to continue operations by the production of near beer the brands by brewery were: Pabst – Pablo; Schlitz – Famo; Miller – Vivo; Stroh – Luxo; Anheuser Busch – Pivo. Beer drinkers largely rejected these attempts at NA beers. The saying was that whoever called it

Portland Brewing has announced it will cease operations as of February 5th.  This will end production of  the MacTarnahan’s brands. Pyramid beers which were also produced at the brewery will now be brewed in Rochester, NY. No further information is available on the status of the brewing equipment. Portland was one of the early craft brewers in the city and operated for more than thirty years; it follows Bridgeport Brewing another early craft brewer which closed 2 years ago. Beer Fest General Admission tickets available now at MBBF.org or follow

On this day in 1935 the Krueger Brewing Company of Richmond, Virginia, introduced the first practical beer can. This might not seem of much significance but before ‘off-premise’ (six packs) most beer was consumed on-premise, meaning bars, saloons, restaurants and hotels. After the introduction of off premise sales American drinking habits changed when they realized beer was thereafter mobile, they could drink it almost anywhere.             The one drawback was the lack of an easy-opening top. It required a can opener that was affectionately called a ‘Church Key’. The public

The end of COVID, though almost in sight, might not be soon enough for a great number of the country’s breweries. Which face the greatest threat? Those with slim operating reserves and those which rely on taprooms sales for the majority of their business. Back in early April 2020, a survey conducted by the Brewers Association determined that over 45% of the small brewers were in jeopardy, indicating they could only survive approximately three months of COVID restrictions. Many small breweries were dependent on a business model which focused on

December 31, 1759: Arthur Guinness closed one of the greatest real estate deals of all time. He signed a lease securing land for his brewery for a total of 45 British Pounds Sterling per year and for a term of 9,000 years. The small parcel now sits within the brewery grounds. When the lease was signed the land consisted of a house, fishpond, gardens and a rundown brewery which had laid idle for over ten years. Beer Fest General Admission tickets available now at MBBF.org or follow this link  https://northamericanbrewers.org/ticket-store/

Throughout the medieval times the 26th of December (Saint Stephen Day), the 27th (St. John Day), and the 28th (the Holy Innocents) were known collectively as the ‘Feast of Fools’. On those days crowds gathered in Churches to attend ‘fake’ services and drink beer as they sat in the pews. From there they spilled into the streets and transformed fools and children into Kings and Popes. These celebrations lasted well into the 1500’s but are generally frowned upon today. Beer Fest General Admission tickets available now at MBBF.org or follow

Dec 24th      Side Lot Brewery in Wauconda, Illinois; a one barrel brewery which prides itself on the unusual and creative, has landed in a rather unusual situation. Owner Phil Castello loves providing his customers with a wide variety of beers made with an even wider selection of ingredients and it was two of those ingredients that drew the attention of Hershey’s. The brewery’s website and social media regularly features customer favorites which included a Pale Ale made with Jolly Ranchers and a Porter fashioned from Milk Duds. Hershey took exception

On this date, December 19, 1620, the Pilgrims, low on beer, made landfall at Plymouth Rock. Their intention was to come ashore in the religious tolerant colony of New Amsterdam, but overshot. Desperate, they landed in cold seas; Pilgrim William Bradford explained it was because “…for we could not now take much time for further search or consideration, our victuals being much spent, especially our beer….” Beer Fest Returns in 2021 General Admission tickets to go on sale in time to give as Christmas Gifts Copyright Gregg Smith – his