American Beer Month
Wednesday, Jul 13, 2011
Did you know that after water and tea, beer is the most popular drink in America? It is also the most widely consumed alcoholic beverage, dating all the way back to 9500 BC. I can’t help but wonder if my great grandfather, Herman Berghoff was aware of this when he decided to revolve his career around the production and consumption of beer. What began as an interest and attempt to recreate Dortmunder, a German lager, turned into his and now my livelihood.
July is American Beer Month. And while it may just sound like another Hallmark holiday or an excuse to create a Beermosa or Berghoff Shandy, it also celebrates how the Berghoff began! Herman Berghoff started his entrepreneurial journey with Herman Berghoff Brewing Co in 1883 and soon opened the Berghoff Café in 1898, as a mode to sell his Berghoff Dortmunder Beer. Through the Prohibition and other tumultuous times Berghoff and Berghoff Beer has remained a Chicago classic. While we no longer brew it ourselves (it is brewed by Minhaus Craft Brewery in Monroe, Wisconsin), we continue to sell countless steins a day. Beer is an ingredient in many of our classic dishes, such as Berghoff Beer-Braised Brisket, Berghoff Beer Bread, and Beer-Braised Pork Loin to name a few, and a classic American drink. Let’s raise a stein to American Beer Month and how Berghoff all began. Cheers!