Research Seminar: Cody Patton

Virtual Event 
October 29 2025
Registration via Eventbrite

This chapter is the fifth in Patton's book manuscript, a more-than-human-history of beer production in the United States and explores the post-World War II consolidation of the American brewing industry by looking at the role of water in the brewing process and the construction of chain breweries throughout the United States. Water quality and its chemical composition are critical to overall beer flavor and product consistency. Even tiny amounts of mineral differences, such as 0.3 parts per million of iron, among water sources can have a noticeable impact on a beer’s flavor. Therefore, the production of many iconic brands were place-bound due to water variability across locations. During the 1950s and 1960s, however, the nation’s largest brewers harnessed advances in water chemistry to manipulate one locale’s water profile to mirror another, allowing big brewers to produce their signature brews anywhere. This technology allowed large breweries to construct a series of “chain breweries” across the United States, allowing them to save on shipping costs. By eroding the price advantage of small local breweries, this contributing to the emergence of the American brewing oligopoly of the late twentieth century.

Christy Spackman of Arizona State University will provide an introductory comment.