What Is the Oldest Brewery in the United States?

When looking into brewing in the United States, it can be difficult to trace each brewery, each owner, and production back before the world, and the US industrialized. So when we ask the question, “what is the oldest brewery in the United States?” there are many answers that can easily be true. It’s important to acknowledge first the history of brewing, then visit first breweries, first commercial breweries, and then the oldest brewery in the US still standing.

The History of Brewing in the United States

The United States has a long history with brewing. The practice is as old as the country, even older, really, as colonizers and settlers mostly hailed from beer-loving countries like England, Germany, and the Netherlands.

But at first, breweries were not essential to colonization because most people made their own beer at home, as had been the practice for thousands of years prior. Indeed, some of the earliest homes built in the New World had a separate building for brewing as the fires made for the boil could get out of control and burn down a whole house.

Breweries began to rise up as settlement increased and particularly as towns grew up around the houses, ranches, and farms.

You can find a map of New Amsterdam from the late 1600s that shows 26 breweries and taverns had sprung up by then, and it is no wonder. As towns arose, breweries and taverns were often the first place a newcomer would go to get any news that had been spreading, find a place to sleep for the night, and figure out if they wanted to settle down in the town themselves.

It is likely impossible to discover which of those taverns was first as they would all be long gone by now.

The First Brewery in the United States

The very first brewery of note is M. Vassar & Company run by Matthew Vassar, originally built in 1799 by Matthew’s father, James Vassar. Matthew took the brewery to incredible heights over the next several decades, employing hundreds and producing tens of thousands of barrels of beer well into the 1800’s. It is after Matthew Vassar that the distinguished college is named.

The Oldest Brewery in the United States Still in Business

In terms of the oldest brewery built in the United States that is still in business, you can visit the DG Yuengling & Son, Inc. building in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, where it was constructed and put to use building beer in 1829 by German immigrant David Yuengling. To get through Prohibition, the company made and sold ice cream, and if you go visit, you can still buy their ice cream today.

The Second Oldest Brewery in the United States

Of course, we cannot discuss brewing in the US without mentioning Anheuser Busch. Another German Immigrant, Eberhard Anheuser, who started a brewery alongside his business making soap and candles. The business really took off when his son-in-law, Adolphus Busch, joined him and bought out refrigerated rail cars to transport cold lager beer across the country. As AB’s success grew, the company also bought several other factories and breweries across the states so they could produce more and ship locally. Today, Anheuser Busch is part of a joint company, AB InBev, as a result of the acquisition of Anheuser Bush by German company InBev. You can still visit several of AB’s factories across the United States.

Other Older Breweries Worth a Visit

You can also visit the Coors brewery in Colorado, where it has stood since 1873, when Adolph Coors, still another German immigrant, founded the brewery and brought it to incredible heights. Today, the Coors brewery is one of the oldest and largest in the United States.

Pabst Blue Ribbon is another brewery that has been around since the 1800s, though the name has changed several times. The current brand owes itself to the blue ribbon tied around the neck of the can after winning a flavor award in the 1880s. Today, you can buy PBR on pretty much any market shelf in the country, and you can still visit their original facility in Milwaukee.

Minhas Craft Brewery is also worth mentioning as it claims to be the oldest brewers in the Midwest and the second oldest brewery in the country. It has been in Wisconsin for more than 160 years, and today provides beer for larger companies that place their own label on the brew. Trader Joe’s Simpler Times and Costco’s Kirkland beers are two examples. Still, you can visit the brewery and see memorabilia that dates back to their earliest days.

So you see, answering a question about the oldest brewery in the United States is not easy. We are mostly talking about breweries that have been opened only years apart from each other, and each one has stood the test of time and worth a visit, and we cannot have this discussion without also referencing those earliest breweries that kept people in the know, helped them find their way, gave them a roof over their heads, and eventually went out of business not for lack of amazing products or service but rather just as a result of time.

Here’s to honoring the past and celebrating the present with beer.

Cheers!

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