Detroit Beer: A History of Brewing in the Motor City

Signed by the author – includes promotional bookmark

While in recent years Detroit’s craft beer scene has exploded with activity and innovation, brewing has a long history in the Motor City. Small brewers popped up during the mid-1800s to support nearby saloons. Many breweries survived the dry years by producing “near beer,” or non-alcoholic beer, which was quickly abandoned after Prohibition.

Consolidation marked the following decades, until only Stroh Brewery Company remained. Local brewing returned triumphantly with dozens of breweries opening their doors since the 1990s, including Motor City Brewing Works, Atwater Brewery and Kuhnhenn Brewing Company.

Join author and Motor City Brew Tours founder Stephen Johnson for Detroit history by the pint.