George Washington Recorded a Recipe for Beer While Leading a Militia. Thanks to the New York Public Library, You Can Imbibe That History This Summer

To celebrate America’s 250th birthday, the library partnered with a brewery to produce the founding father’s beer — and an updated version more pleasing to modern palates

Christian Thorsberg | Daily Correspondent

June 4, 2026 1:20 p.m.

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In his 1757 military journal, then-Colonel George Washington kept daily notes on life in the Virginia militia he led during the Seven Years’ War. Some writing—such as officers’ commissions, orders and the names of horses—was relevant to the battlefield. Other entries, including outlines for letters, were more personal. And then there was a recipe for “small beer.”

Washington’s handwritten instructions for brewing it were rather simple. Begin by sifting bran hops “to your taste,” boiling them for three hours, then straining 30 gallons into a cooler. Add three gallons of molasses “while the beer is scalding hot,” then let it cool “till it is little more than blood warm” and add a quart of yeast. Cover the mixture with a blanket if the weather is cold, then and bottle it.

The journal and recipe—digitized and viewable online—are kept in the New York Public Library’s Manuscripts and Archives Division. Now, in time to celebrate America’s 250th birthday, the institution has partnered with local brewery TALEA Beer Co. to bring the beer back to life.

“Beer has played a huge role in world history, from the dawn of civilization to pre-revolutionary America and into present times,” Anne Becerra, a certified cicerone—a sommelier for beer— says in a library statement. “That the New York Public Library and TALEA created a unique beer inspired by historical documents from the collection is a wonderful way to add an extra layer of context to the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.”

“Washington’s Beer” follows the original recipe and contains a relatively small amount of alcohol. “Small beers” were everyday drinks in the 1700s that served as safer alternatives to water, which often contained bacteria and spread disease.

“If your entire garrison gets dysentery, that’s a real liability,” Meredith Mann, the library’s interim curator of manuscripts, tells the New York Times’ James Barron.

While the brewing process usually killed unwanted bugs, its simple recipe meant that it tasted quite different from the beers modern drinkers are used to.

George Washington “didn’t have that much to work with,” LeAnn Darland, co-founder of TALEA, tells ABC 7 News. “He was making this in the field, during the Seven Years’ War. It is quite sweet, tastes very much like molasses. Maybe like a funky syrup could be a good tasting note.”

The second drink, called “Liberty Lager,” is more akin to modern beers. It contains 6.5 percent alcohol and its brewers describe its flavors as more subdued. It will be available in TALEA taprooms and in New York City restaurants.

“We wanted to honor the recipe while also making something that people would want to serve at a barbecue or have more than one when they come for a trivia night,” Tara Hankinson, TALEA co-founder, tells the Times. “It still has the color, but it’s refreshing, with a little bitterness that makes it very food-friendly.”

The New York Public Library is commemorating the nation’s big birthday in several ways. Thomas Jefferson’s copy of the Declaration of Independence will be on view for free during the first week of July, and special edition library cards that feature this founding document will be available.

The library has also compiled a reading list of 250 books “that reflect on and illuminate the American experience from a variety of perspectives.”

Christian Thorsberg | Read More

Christian Thorsberg is an environmental writer and photographer from Chicago. His work, which often centers on freshwater issues, climate change and subsistence, has appeared in Circle of Blue, Sierra magazine, Discover magazine and Alaska Sporting Journal.