American Craft Beer Week

This past week was American Craft Beer Week. A week where we, the thinking and feeling, went out (or stayed in) and celebrated the triumphant return of Craft Beer in this country. If we turn our history clocks back to January of 1919, we can see the 18th Amendment being ratified. That amendment, since named Prohibition, was a very serious and grave wound to the beer industry in the United States. The breweries were incapable of operating in the black with making and selling the approved low-alcohol brews, or 'near beer.' As a result, almost all of the breweries went bankrupt. However, there were a few breweries that survived Prohibition. In fact, Prohibition gave this handful of companies a strategy in which Rich Uncle Pennybags would be proud.These clever corporations started buying up all of the bankrupted breweries and consolidated production to a dozen locations across the country. This, in turn, decimated the history and culture of beer in the U.S. and yielded the mild-tasting, preservative-filled, overly-advertised lagers and pilsners that dominate the domestic market.Though things are changing.In the 1980s, baby-boomers' children starred challenging the bloated monopolistic brewers. Microbrew or craft brewed beer starting materializing in local markets. The overwhelming positive reaction to these novel beverages bolstered the strength and resolve of the independent brewers. They hired their friends to help out wherever they could. They sold to every pub and restaurant that was willing to listen. They expanded to meet the needs an ever growing distribution network.This past week was a celebration of those rogue elements. They have revived the art of beer making in this country. Now craft beer is not what it used to be, but it is getting there. Events like these are not the only opportunity to enjoy those soulful suds. Every time you order a beer, I beg you to take a look at the selection and ask yourself, "Why not drink something tasty? Why not drink something real? Why not have a great experience with every sip?" The gallery above is my chronicle of adventures during American Craft Beer Week in NYC. Peruse and enjoy!