As the United States inches closer to its historic 250th anniversary, commemorative rollouts are flooding grocery store shelves and menus nationwide. But while most brands are leaning on modern marketing themes, one New York City craft brewery is giving history buffs a literal taste of the 18th century.
On Monday, June 1, 2026, woman-owned craft icon TALEA Beer Co. and the New York Public Library (NYPL) announced a joint brewing project to resurrect a 269-year-old beer recipe handwritten by none other than George Washington. Released as part of the library's system-wide "250 Years: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness" historical initiative, the partnership brings a piece of archival history directly into the pint glasses of modern drinkers.
The 1757 Notebook: "To Make Small Beer"
Long before he was the first President of the United States, a 25-year-old George Washington was a colonel commanding the Virginia militia during the French and Indian War (Seven Years' War). While stationed at Fort Loudoun in 1757, Washington kept a detailed military journal containing letter outlines, officer commissions, and the names of wagon horses.
On the very last page of that journal—which has been carefully preserved in the NYPL’s Manuscripts and Archives Division since 1918—Washington penned a simple, step-by-step guide titled "To Make Small Beer."
In early America, "small beer" was a low-alcohol (typically 1% to 3% ABV), everyday mainstay. Because local water supplies were frequently contaminated with deadly bacteria, boiling the water to brew small beer was a vital way to keep military garrisons hydrated and safe from dysentery.
"Take a large Sifter full of Bran Hops to your Taste. Boil these 3 hours then strain out 30 Gallons into a cooler put in 3 Gallons Molasses while the Beer is Scalding hot… let this stand till it is little more than Blood warm then put in a quart of Yeast," Washington’s original 1757 manuscript reads.
One Historic Recipe, Two Distinct Brews
To honor the text while ensuring modern tavern-goers actually enjoy their drinks, TALEA’s culinary and brewing teams split the project into two entirely separate liquid concepts instead of just one.
The first creation is a faithful recreation of Washington's Original Brew. It relies heavily on Washington's exact field instructions, combining boiled bran hops with a massive dose of molasses to yield a historically accurate, low-alcohol profile. The result is a very thick, intensely sweet, and slightly funky syrup-like liquid. Because of its extreme historical accuracy, this variant is not for wide public sale; instead, it was produced as a micro-batch strictly for private historical tastings and educational library archives.
The second creation is Liberty Lager, a modern and highly approachable interpretation built for the 2026 palate. Brewed as a clean, crisp, classic Amber Lager, it features a subtle, malty sweetness, clean grains, and a gentle hint of hops while clocking in at a more robust 6.5% ABV. This commercial version is fully available to the public, sold in 4-packs of 16-ounce cans directly at TALEA's physical taprooms, partner New York City restaurants, and select regional retail outlets.
“We're honored to create Liberty Lager to commemorate America's 250th,” Tara Hankinson, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of TALEA Beer Co., stated. “Our goal was to brew an approachable beer that nods to George Washington's original recipe with subtle maltiness and a hint of hops. We're proud to bring this lager to life together with The New York Public Library.”
Connecting the Public to the Archives
The limited-edition beer rollout is dropping alongside several broader summer activations by the New York Public Library, including free ticketed viewings of Thomas Jefferson's original handwritten copy of the Declaration of Independence and special-edition library cards.
For the curators behind the project, moving history from a temperature-controlled vault onto a tap handle is the ultimate form of community engagement.
“By bringing George Washington's beer recipe out of our archives and into the pint glasses of New Yorkers, we can connect our collection to the public we serve,” stated Brent Reidy, the NYPL’s Andrew W. Mellon Director of the Research Libraries. “We're proud to bring this lager to life together with TALEA.”
If you want to toast to the Founding Fathers like it's 1757, both the commercial Liberty Lager cans and select educational flight tastings of the molasses-heavy Original Brew will be rotating through TALEA's taprooms all summer long while limited ingredient batches last.
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