10 Fun Facts About NYC’s History with Beer

Beer has been a part of New York City’s history from the very beginning and some of the oldest surviving bars date to the early 19th century. Here are ten fun historical facts about the beer industry here in New York City.

10. The US Beer Industry Had Its Start in New York

As shown in the 2012 New-York Historical Society exhibit “Beer Here: Brewing New York’s Beer History," from the “1840s through the 1880s the state was the largest producer of hops in the United States.” Even before that, there was a tradition of home-brewing and local beer production – which makes the resurgence of New York-area microbreweries in the last decade less than surprising.

9. It Was Once Considered Safer to Drink Beer Than the Water in NYC

The Croton Aqueduct was completed in 1842 and as proof of the extent of the feat, the celebration of its opening lasted all day with a 50-foot fountain of water in City Hall Park. Prior to that, “beer was considered safer to drink than water” said Beer Here curator Debra Schmidt Bach.

8. The East Side of Manhattan Was Once Full of Breweries

The waterfront on both sides of the East River in Manhattan and Brooklyn were full of breweries. By the mid 1800s, the Turtle Bay cove had been infilled and was packed with breweries, slaughterhouses, industrial uses and slums, and was one of the most polluted places in the city. This land would be purchased and redeveloped into the United Nations. George Ehret, at one point the largest brewer in the country, opened in 1866 uptown at 92nd Street. Even further inland, Carnegie Hall was built on the land of a former brewery.

7. The Company That Invented the Bottle Cap Was Headquartered in NYC

Although New York City can’t claim to be the location where the bottle cap was invented – William Painter’s invention and his Crown Cork and Seal Company started out in Baltimore in 1891 – but the company was based in New York City starting in 1927 after merging with the New Process Cork Company. The company still exists but is relocated. The bottle cap, first known as “Crown Cork” revolutionized the trade and transportation of beer.

6. There Was a Cooperative Brewing Company in New York

The Consumers’ Brewing Company of New York was a cooperative company, and as recounted in a 1908 report, one of the largest of its kind in the United States supplying an “annual demand of over 250,000 barrels” with a staff of 120 people. Above is its brewery on 54th Street which the New York Times described architecturally as a “tipsy extravaganza of mansards, towers and a great central dome.” In Brooklyn, a similar endeavor, the Consumers Park Brewing Company was formed by a group of hotel and saloon keepers and remnants can still be seen today.

5. The Lost Bull’s Head Tavern Was Almost Saved