Were he alive today, George Washington would turn 278-years old tomorrow. Most might celebrate this monumental occasion with a nice champagne they acquired a few decades prior, but there is little doubt our nation’s first president would reach his ancient hand toward a pint of porter — American porter, of course.
We know of Washington’s love for porter from a letter he sent to the Marquis de Lafayette, in which he wrote: “I use no porter or cheese in my family, but such as is made in America; both these articles may now be purchased of an excellent quality.” And we also know of one porter he held in high regard, that of Robert Hair of Philadelphia. Washington wrote to Clement Biddle in 1788 asking him to send a gross (that’s 12 dozen) of Hair’s “best bottled Porter.” In 1790, Washington would have his secretary Tobias Leer write to Philadelphia asking for the same porter on his behalf. Fire destroyed Hair’s brewery in November of that same year, leading Washington to write that he was sorry “on public as well as private accts., to hear of Mr. Hares loss.”
Were he alive today, George Washington would probably still lament the loss of Hair’s brewery — that is, until he discovered Yards Brewing Company of Philadelphia, which sits a few blocks away from where Hair brewed Washington’s favorite porter centuries ago. Yards followed one of Washington’s own recipes — homebrewing was the norm in those days — to produce General Washington’s Tavern Porter.
Fortunately, there are more quality porters being brewed in this country now than there ever have been, but none are as fit to be raised in tribute to the father of our country than the Yards General Washington’s Tavern Porter. So tomorrow, raise a glass to one of America’s favorite styles and to one of that style’s most revered advocates — happy birthday, Mr. President.