Peter Hemings Takes Charge of Brewing and Malting at Monticello

In 1813, Peter Hemings, an enslaved craftsman at Monticello, learned brewing and assumed responsibility for its brewing and malting operations. Surviving letters record Thomas Jefferson’s judgment that Hemings learned the work “with entire success” and was capable of instructing another brewer. Hemings’s responsibilities joined several skilled occupations: he had already worked as a cook and later also practiced tailoring. The documentary record identifies him as the person directing Monticello’s beer and malt production, while also making clear that his labor and expertise were controlled under slavery. The evidence supports his skill and authority within the operation without requiring an unsupported claim that he was the first Black brewer in the United States.