California Gold Rush Accelerates Lager Brewing In The West

The California Gold Rush began in 1848 and drew migrants from the United States and abroad to the rapidly growing communities of the American West. Among them were immigrants from German-speaking Europe who brought knowledge of lager brewing and a demand for the beers familiar to them. California’s climate and the limited availability of ice made traditional cold fermentation and storage difficult. Brewers therefore adapted lager yeast and brewing methods to local conditions, contributing to the development of the warm-fermented beer later associated with California as steam beer.