CONTACT:

Caroline Bean

GPTMC

(215) 599-7433

 caroline@gptmc.com


BACKGROUNDER  
 America’s Greatest Brewing City Reclaims Its Sudsy Heritage

PHILADELPHIA, July 18, 2005 – One hundred years ago, Philadelphia was known as the greatest brewing city in the Western Hemisphere. Today, Philadelphia-area microbreweries are reclaiming the region’s reputation by brewing some of the world’s best beer. Visitors can tour the facilities and sample the beer at most of these spots, and increasingly, local pubs are specializing in serving locally made brews.

 
In the mid-19th through the early 20th century, more than 90 breweries operated in Philadelphia proper, and another 100 more operated in the city’s environs. One northwestern region of Philly, located on the banks of the Schuylkill River, near Girard Avenue Bridge, became known as “Brewerytown.” As Brewerytown grew, area producers of German-style beers and American lagers expanded into the nearby Kensington and Fishtown neighborhoods, and beyond.
 
The brewery boom came to an end in 1920, when Prohibition brought on the decline — and near demise — of virtually all of Philadelphia’s beer producers, the majority of which remained shuttered beyond the repeal of Prohibition in 1933.
 
But 60 years later, the Philadelphia region began reestablishing itself as a force in beer making. Throughout the city — from Kensington to Manayunk — and beyond — from Lafayette Hill to Phoenixville — independently owned breweries and brew pubs were handcrafting flavorful ales, lagers, stouts and meads that had all but disappeared from America’s beerscape.
 
Today, the Philadelphia area is home to several microbreweries that bring home gold and silver medals from international beer festivals and competitions every year. Throughout the region, suds-centric bars are serving local drafts alongside ale-friendly haute cuisine.

Twice a year, the Neighborhood Tourism Network hosts tours of Philadelphia’s historic and reemerging brewing neighborhoods of Fishtown and Kensington. The tour, scheduled for October 1, 2005, includes a visit to Kensington’s Yards Brewing Company, the only production brewery within the city limits.

Breweries:

Local Beer on Tap:

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The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) builds the region’s economy and image through destination marketing to increase the number of visitors, the number of nights they stay and the number of things they do in the five-county region. For more information about travel to Philadelphia, visit www.gophila.com or call the Independence Visitor Center, located in Independence National Historical Park, at (800) 537-7676

Note to Editors: photos of Greater Philadelphia are available in the photo gallery.

2005

 

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