Yards General Washington's Tavern Porter

A popular style of beer in England in the early 1700’s, porter is believed to have been created when brewers accidentally mixed three styles of ales together as one. It was appropriately named “Entire” – as in “entire” blend. The beer eventually became known as “porter” due to its thriving popularity among the working class porters throughout England. As British royalty developed a liking to this dark brew, barrels of porter began making their way across the Atlantic to America where it became a staple of our founding fathers’ diets. George Washington, an avid beer enthusiast and home brewer, grew especially fond of porter and took great pride in serving it to his troops at the end of a long day.

Take a look at one of George Washington’s original beer recipes on file at the New York Public Library:

To Make Small Beer: Take a large siffer full of bran hops to your taste-boil these 3 hours. Then strain our 30 gall[o]n into a cooler put in 3 gall[o]n molasses while the beer is scalding hot or rather draw the molasses into the cooler. Strain the beer on it while boiling hot, let this stand till it is little more than blood warm. Then put in a quart of ye[a]st if the weather is very cold cover it over with a blank[et] let it work in the cask-Leave the bung open till it is almost done working-Bottle it that day week it was brewed." (Note: Following this recipe exactly will result in a beer with an alcohol content of about 11 percent — making it at least twice as potent as most of today's commercially brewed domestic beers. Recipe courtesy Precious Book Department, New York Public Library. Spelling and punctuation have been left in their original form.)

As the Revolutionary War broke out and all trade with England ceased to exist, brewing beer became less of a hobby and more of a matter of necessity. Philadelphia, a city so rich in American history was the home of many of Washington’s favorite watering holes. It was also the home of Robert Hair's Brewery where it is believed that Washington’s Philadelphia porter was first created.

Located now just a hop, skip and a jump from this historic site is Yards Brewing Company, one of Philadelphia’s finest craft brewers. Embracing the city’s history, Yards and City Tavern (a revolutionary war landmark) joined forces in 2003 to honor our founding fathers in a line of beers called the Ales of the Revolution. This series includes the Poor Richard’s Tavern Spruce Ale – a tribute to Ben Franklin, the Thomas Jefferson Tavern Ale and the General Washington Tavern Porter.

“Rich and warming with a deep garnet hue, the molasses-based Tavern Porter™ reflects Washington's admiration of Philadelphia-style porters and follows a recipe Washington used himself, when brewing beer to satisfy his thirsty field officers.”

The cold winter months are the perfect time of year for a hearty porter - a style that is as rich in character as it is in American history. And with President’s day just around the corner, what better time than now to savor this historic
re-creation? Our first President and fellow beer enthusiast would be so proud.

Try GW’s Porter with grilled and roasted meats or with a variety of cheeses like Gouda, Gruyere or stinky kinds with washed rinds. It would also be delicious with sinful chocolate desserts!

Now in stock in NJ in 6-packs and half kegs!

Also in stock from Yards Brewing Company:
Philadelphia Pale Ale
India Pale Ale
Extra Special Ale
Brawler Pugilist Style Ale
Thomas Jefferson Tavern Ale