Cheers to us! This new lager is based on Washington's recipe

Beer!

Now that we have your attention, how about one inspired by a recipe written by one George Washington way back in 1757?

Liberty Lager is a limited edition brew inspired by an entry in the future first U.S. president’s diary entitled “To Make Small Beer.” It’s produced in honor of America’s 250th birthday by the New York Public Library (NYPL), which has the notebook Washington kept while he was a colonel in the Virginia militia, and Talea Beer Co., a women- and veteran-owned New York-based brewer.

And they’re not the only ones with something brewing to mark the nation’s semiquincentennial.

Brew, then ‘Bottle it that day’

According to a blog post on the NYPL’s website, “small beer” was called that because of its low alcohol content. Because safe drinking water wasn’t always available, fermented and brewed beverages like beer and cider were commonly consumed. Small beer, the post explained, was relatively easy and quick to make, and was meant to be consumed quickly. Historians believe Washington meant for his recipe to be used for troops in his charge at Fort Loudoun, Virginia.

The recipe instructs taking a large sifter “full of Bran Hops to your Taste,” boiling them for three hours, straining them and adding three gallons of molasses “while the Beer is Scalding hot.” Next, Washington wrote, “let this stand till it is little more than Blood warm,” then add yeast, with instructions to cover it if “the Weather is very Cold,” leaving it for 24 hours. Finally, Washington says, “put it into the Cask â leave the bung open till it is almost don[e] Working â Bottle it that day Week it was Brewed.”

Liberty Lager, though, will be no “small beer,” with Talea’s interpretation of Washington’s recipe resulting in a brew that contains 6.5% alchohol and described as a “classic amber lager with subtle, malty sweetness and a hint of hops.”

The beer is part of the library’s “250 Years: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness” initiative which includes a chance to see a copy of the Declaration of Independence handwritten by Thomas Jefferson (on view July 1-7, tickets required), book giveaways and “Reading America: 250 Years, 250 Books” notable books for all ages highlighting the American experience from different perspectives.

Beers across America for the 250th

New York isn’t the only place with a special brew for our national birthday to-do.

In Wisconsin, 3 Sheeps Brewing beer was selected to represent Wisconsin in the United States’ 250th anniversary events. The Sheboygan Press, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported that the Wisconsin America250 Commission chose the brewery to brew Stay Golden, a craft golden lager first launched in 2020, for the state’s semiquincentennial.

Pennsylvania’s Runaway Train Brewery is making Declaration Lager and in Ohio, Columbia Brewing Co. is creating a commemorative IPA. Anheuser-Busch, which brews Budweiser and Busch Light, was named the official beer sponsor of the America250 celebration. Mother Road Brewing in Flagstaff, Arizona, is releasing AZ250 Arizona Lager, which it describes as having a “straw-gold color, light crisp malt flavor.”

Sam Adams, the Boston craft brewery named for a founding father, is reviving its Brewer Patriot Collection first introduced in 2006. The four-beer collection draws on original recipes from Washington, James Madison, Jefferson and of course Samuel Adams.

Phaedra Trethan is a national correspondent for USA TODAY, writing about history and Americana. Contact her by email at ptrethan@usatoday.com, on X @wordsbyphaedra, on BlueSky @byphaedra, or on Threads @by_phaedra.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cheers to us! This new lager is based on Washington’s recipe

Reporting by Phaedra Trethan, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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