George Washington's 1757 Beer Recipe Brewed for Public Tasting at New York Library

A handwritten beer recipe dating to 1757 when George Washington served as a colonel in the Virginia militia has been professionally brewed and made available for public tasting at the New York Public Library. The beverage, known as small beer, represents a critical element of early American military logistics and daily life. Talea Beer Co. created approximately two hundred bottles of the original recipe for the library's internal use, while developing a contemporary interpretation called Liberty Lager for commercial sale at their New York taprooms.

The Historical Recipe and Its Purpose

Washington's small beer recipe appears in a notebook he maintained during the French and Indian War, when he held a military commission. The drink earned its name from its minimal alcohol content, typically between one and three percent by volume. Julie Golia, curator and historian who directs the New York Public Library's 42nd Street research library, explains that small beer served a public health function: armies facing contaminated water supplies could prevent widespread dysentery by consuming this beverage instead of untreated water. The formula proved so essential that virtually everyone in colonial armies—men, women, and children—drank it regularly.

Brewing and Tasting Notes

Talea's brewmaster Eric Brown and his team reconstructed the preparation from Washington's original handwritten instructions. The ingredient list remains straightforward: water, hops, yeast, and a substantial quantity of molasses. The molasses distinguishes this brew significantly from modern beer styles, producing a dark amber color similar to an Irish red ale. The beverage remains unfiltered and cloudy, contrary to contemporary brewing standards. Tasters report a complex flavor profile that shifts across the palate more like wine than typical beer, with notes of baking sugar, cookie-like spice, and mineral undertones from the molasses. The historical version would have been served at ambient temperature, whatever conditions the marching armies encountered—cold in winter, warm in summer.

The recreation project contributes to America 250, the nation's upcoming semiquincentennial celebration. For those interested in attempting the recipe at home, the New York Public Library has transcribed Washington's original formula on its website. Brown recommends using baking molasses, maintaining strict sanitation practices, and sourcing pure yeast cultures from homebrew supply retailers. The fermentation process requires approximately two hours of preparation followed by roughly one week of fermentation time.