George Washington Wrote A Beer Recipe In 1757 And You Can Actually Drink It This Summer.
In 1757, while leading a Virginia militia during the Seven Years' War, Colonel George Washington took a break from battlefield logistics to write down a recipe for beer. The handwritten instructions call for sifting bran and hops, boiling them for three hours, then adding three gallons of molasses and a quart of yeast. Simple, practical, and historically extraordinary. Now, to mark America's 250th birthday this summer, the New York Public Library has partnered with New York City brewery TALEA Beer Co. to brew Washington's recipe back to life. The result is two beers. The first, "Washington's Beer," follows the original recipe exactly with a small amount of alcohol and a predominantly molasses flavor. Small beers like this were everyday drinks in the 1700s, safer than water in an era when contaminated water spread disease. "If your entire garrison gets dysentery, that's a real liability," noted Meredith Mann, the library's interim curator of manuscripts.
The second beer, called "Liberty Lager," is for the rest of us. Brewed at 6.5% alcohol with a more modern flavor profile, it is described as refreshing, food-friendly, and exactly what you would want at a summer barbecue. "We wanted to honor the recipe while also making something people would want to serve at a barbecue," said TALEA co-founder Tara Hankinson. Both beers are now available in TALEA taprooms and New York City restaurants. Washington's original recipe is digitized and viewable free online through the library's digital collections. Thomas Jefferson's personal copy of the Declaration of Independence will also be on free public view at the library during the first week of July. America's 250th birthday is shaping up to be quite a summer.
