A History of Beer: ‘Ales through the Ages’


Date / Time: Friday, November 12th, 2021 - Sunday, November 14th, 2021 at All Day (add to calendar)
Event type: In-Person Event
Price: $100 (virtual) - $325 (in-person)
Register / View: A History of Beer: ‘Ales through the Ages’

The Ales through the Ages conference will return to Colonial Williamsburg November 12-14, when beer and history enthusiasts will be able to join virtually or in-person with some of the world’s top beer scholars for a weekend of exploration of ancient ales and indigenous beers of the past, examination of the origins of brewing and discovery of the ingredients brewers have used through time.

“We are thrilled that the Ales through the Ages conference will return to Colonial Williamsburg this year,” said Frank Clark, who supervises the Historic Foodways department at Colonial Williamsburg. “We are looking forward to our hybrid conference and the opportunity to connect with attendees both virtually and in person to share a pint from the past.”

Conference highlights will include:

  • Keynote speaker, Pete Brown, will start off the conference by discussing the Highs and Lows of Researching Beer History.
  • Travis Rupp, from the University of Colorado at Boulder, will explore the production of beer in Roman Britain, while Stan Hieronymus, lifelong journalist and author, will give insight into Breaking the Lupulin Code, andGeorge Heilshorn takes will highlight Back to the Future of Botanical Beers.
  • Award-winning author Martyn Cornell will join us to examine the sometimes-controversial origins of pale ale, and food and drink historian Marc Meltonville will discuss a venture with the FoodCult project reconstructing a Tudor Brewery and producing beer from a 16th century recipe.
  • Craig Gravina will explore 400 Years of Beer and Brewing in New York’s Hudson Valley; Mitch Steele of New Realm Brewing will take a look at lost beers; and Ron Pattinson will consider the transformative story of UK brewing during the Great War.
  • Kyle Spears and Dan Lauro from Carillon Brewing Co. will explore operating an historic brewery in the modern world.
  • Frank Clark and renowned beer author Lee Graves will be joined by Forbes beer writer Tara Nurin for a roundtable talk on roles of Women and the enslaved in brewing in 18th century Virginia.
  • Maltster Andrea Stanley will round out the weekend with an optional workshop on making blown malt.

Limited in-person capacity is currently available, and will increase throughout the summer and fall. Program registration is $100 for virtual only and $325 for in-person registration. Both virtual and in-person registrations include access to all lectures and a 7-day ticket voucher to Colonial Williamsburg, to be redeemed by May 31, 2022.

Additional information and registration is available at colonialwilliamsburg.org by visiting the “Learn” section and clicking “Conferences,” OR colonialwilliamsburg.org/learn/conferences and by calling 1-800-603-0948 toll-free or via email at educationalconferences@cwf.org.

Ales through the Ages is possible thanks to the generous support of individual and corporate partners and sponsors including The Chicago Brewseum, Virginia Beer Museum, The Virginia Beer Co.

Information also is available by following Colonial Williamsburg on Facebook and @colonialwmsburg on Twitter and Instagram.

Categories: History

To top