Beer History Storyline
Modern Craft Beer
Trace modern craft beer from its pioneering breweries to international expansion, BrewDog, Germany’s modern craft movement, later generations, new styles, and changing business models.
Chronological milestones
Sources and further references are available on each individual event page.
November 11, 1954
Ken Grossman Is Born
1970
Fred Eckhardt Publishes A Treatise on Lager Beers
1972
Anchor Introduces Anchor Porter
1972
Cascade Is Released as a New American Hop Variety
1975
Anchor Brewing First Brews Old Foghorn
October 1976
Jack McAuliffe, Suzy Denison, and Jane Zimmerman Found New Albion Brewing Company
December 7, 1978
American Homebrewers Association Is Founded
1980
De Dolle Brouwers Produces Its First Oerbier
November 15, 1980
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale Sparks The American Hop Revolution
June 4, 1982
The Great American Beer Festival Is First Held
August 27, 1982
Brasserie d’Achouffe Brews the First La Chouffe
1983
Sierra Nevada Introduces Bigfoot Barleywine
1986
Widmer Brothers Introduces Its American Hefeweizen
1987
Carol Stoudt Establishes Stoudts Brewing Company
1987
The Great American Beer Festival Introduces Judged Competition
1988
Alaskan Brewing Introduces Alaskan Smoked Porter
1988
Goose Island Opens Its First Chicago Brewpub
July 1988
The Oregon Brewers Festival Begins in Portland
June 16, 1994
Mondial de la Bière Begins in Montréal
November 11, 1994
Jopen Launches Hoppenbier in Haarlem
December 4, 1994
Blackwatch IPA Is First Brewed at Vermont Pub & Brewery
December 22, 1994
Medvedgrad Opens Its Brewery and Beer Hall in Zagreb
1995
Goose Island Opens Fulton Street Brewery
1995
Goose Island Creates Bourbon County Stout
1995
North Coast Brewing Releases Old Rasputin
1996
Firestone Walker Introduces Double Barrel Ale and the Firestone Union
August 1, 1996
The Church Brew Works Opens in a Former Catholic Church
1997
Russian River Brewing Company Is Founded At Korbel
September 28, 1998
Kraft Bräu Opens in Trier
2002
Founders Creates Breakfast Stout
November 2002
Oskar Blues Cans Dale’s Pale Ale
2003
Innis & Gunn Launches Its Oak-Aged Beer
2003
Lervig Aktiebryggeri Is Founded in Stavanger
2003
The Alchemist First Brews Heady Topper
2004
Double India Pale Ale Becomes A Recognized Beer Style
2004
American Wheat Beer Becomes a Recognized Modern Style
2006
Oskar Blues Introduces Ten FIDY
2006
Hoppin' Frog Brewery Is Founded In Akron
2006
Mikkeller Builds a Global Brand Through the “Gypsy Brewing” Model
October 2006
Teo Musso And Kuaska Develop The TeKu Glass
2007
Citra Is Released by the Hop Breeding Company
2007
De Dochter van de Korenaar Is Founded in Baarle-Hertog
2007
Teri Fahrendorf Founds the Pink Boots Society
April 2007
BrewDog Launches Punk IPA
April 2007
BrewDog Is Founded in Fraserburgh
March 7, 2008
Philly Beer Week Launches the First Modern Citywide Beer Week
2009
BrewDog Launches Equity for Punks
2009
Sierra Nevada Launches Torpedo Extra IPA Featuring the Hop Torpedo
April 13, 2009
Matuška Begins Brewing in Broumy
2010
Henok Fentie and Karl Grandin Found Omnipollo
October 22, 2010
Untappd Launches
2011
CREW Republic Is Founded In Munich
2011
Phil and Emily Wymore Found Perennial Artisan Ales in St. Louis
2011
Põhjala Brewery Is Founded in Tallinn
2011
O/O Brewing Is Founded in Gothenburg
May 1, 2011
Goose Island Is Acquired by Anheuser-Busch
November 11, 2011
Kehrwieder Kreativbrauerei Is Founded
2012
Maisel & Friends Is Launched
2012
KOMPAAN Launches Its First Commercial Beer
2012
Robbert Uyleman Starts Uiltje in Haarlem
2012
St. Bernardus Launches Tokyo for Its Tokyo Café
2012
Two Chefs Brewing Begins In Amsterdam
November 23, 2012
Trierer Petrusbräu Is Launched
2013
Amarsi Establishes BrauKunstKeller In Germany’s Early Craft IPA Scene
October 18, 2013
EurHop Roma Beer Festival Begins
November 2013
Pelicon Launches Pally Pale Ale in Ajdovščina
November 2013
Riegele Introduces Eight Modern Brewing Specialties
2014
BRLO Is Founded In Berlin
2014
Jann and Cathrin von der Brelie Begin Brewing in Leipzig
2014
Mashsee Brauerei Is Founded in Hannover
January 2014
Other Half Brewing Opens in Brooklyn
June 21, 2014
Nova Runda Launches Its First Commercial Beer in Zagreb
September 2014
Zmajska Releases Its First Pale Ale and Porter
October 18, 2014
First Trier Beer Festival Takes Place At Blesius Garten
2015
The Sisters Brewery Is Founded in Breukelen
2015
BreWskey Opens in Old Montreal
2015
Georg Fürst And Lukasz Wiacek Begin Homebrewing Together
2015
Brouwerij Kees Opens In Middelburg
2015
Omnipollo Introduces Bianca Mango Lassi Gose
May 2015
Holger Zapfe Establishes Ahoi 69 in Bremen
October 1, 2015
Noctem Artisans Brasseurs Opens in Quebec City
December 2015
Brewing Returns to Bremen’s Union Brewery
December 2015
Straßenbräu Opens at Berlin’s Ostkreuz
2016
Eremita Braukunst Begins Selling Beer
2016
Burley Oak Launches the J.R.E.A.M. Sour Series
2016
The Zomerdijk Brothers Found Moersleutel Craft Brewery
2016
Great Notion Introduces Blueberry Muffin
2016
Pulfer Is Founded with a Zagreb Base and Contract Production
2016
FrauGruber Brewing Is Founded
2016
Atelier VRAI Is Founded
2016
Camba Bavaria Moves To Seeon
February 25, 2016
BrewDog Publishes Its Brewing Archive as DIY Dog
February 25, 2016
Yankee & Kraut Is Founded
March 2016
Schneeeule Debuts with Traditional Berliner Weisse
March 2016
Maisel & Friends Launches Hopfenreiter
June 2016
The Garden Brewery Opens in Zagreb
August 25, 2016
Italy Legally Defines Birra Artigianale
December 2016
Fuerst Wiacek Begins Commercial Brewing At Camba
2017
Gutshofbrauerei Das Freie Revives Broyhan
2017
Athletic Brewing Is Founded as a Dedicated Non-Alcoholic Brewery
2017
Ārpus Brewing Co. Is Founded
2017
Tough Love Begins as a Homebrewing Project
2017
Totenhopfen Goes From Homebrewing To Commercial Brewing
2017
Sudden Death Brewing Is Founded
2017
Tap B Is Founded in Split
March 27, 2017
Germany’s Brewery Count Returns Above 1,400
May 2017
Hoppy Road Begins Brewing in Maxéville
June 27, 2017
The Brewers Association Introduces the Independent Craft Brewer Seal
July 18, 2017
Protokoll Taproom Opens in Berlin
November 17, 2017
Brasserie du Bas-Canada Opens in Gatineau
2018
Le Ketch Opens In Sainte-Flavie
2018
Blech.Brut Is Founded In Bamberg
2018
White Dog Brewery Begins Commercial Contract Brewing
March 20, 2018
New England India Pale Ale Achieves National Recognition
October 2018
Funky Fluid Is Founded in Warsaw
December 15, 2018
Craftprotz Kreativbierbar Opens In Trier
2019
TankBusters Is Founded as a Polish Contract Brewery
2019
Messorem Starts Brewing
2019
Schwarze Rose Begins Commercial Contract Brewing
2019
Les Intenables Is Founded in Alsace
June 2019
Maskeron Makes Its Commercial Debut with Aloha
October 2019
Hopfenfänger Opens Its Own Brewery on Bremen’s Überseeinsel
2020
Cold IPA Emerges As A New Interpretation Of India Pale Ale
2020
Thomas Tyrell Founds TYRELL BrauKunstAtelier
2020
Lieber Waldi Is Founded in Cologne
2020
TRVRS Begins To Brew
2020
Omnipollo Opens Its Own Brewery in a Former Church
2021
Founding Of Zum WØL BrauArt
2021
Fuerst Wiacek Opens Its Own Brewery In Berlin
June 2021
Sudden Death Brewing Warehouse Fire
2022
Eremita Braukunst Becomes Certified Organic
2022
Sudden Death Opens Its Own Brewery in Lübeck
February 27, 2022
Pravda Brewery Suspends Brewing to Support Ukraine’s Defense
September 14, 2022
Seb’s Pale Ale Wins Gold at the European Beer Star
September 23, 2022
Hvar Brewing Company Is Established in Hvar
2023
Max Senner Passes Away
May 23, 2023
Brewers Association Adds Dessert or Pastry Stout Style
September 30, 2025
Schneeeule Closes Its Brewery Business and Berlin Salon
March 2, 2026
BrewDog Enters Administration and Its Core Assets Are Sold
April 18, 2026
Christian Tille Wins Home Brew Bayreuth 2026
August 2026
Still Brewing Society Appears at the Bingen Bier Festival
August 28, 2026
Schneeeule Returns with Three Berliner Weisse Beers Brewed with Lemke
September 4, 2026
First Hopfenreiter Day Marks the Release of Hopfenreiter #11