From Europe to the New World...
Beer also played a large role in the development of the United States of America. On the voyage of the Mayflower, the only thing to drink on board was beer. This was because water would spoil on a ship, whereas the alcohol in beer kept it fresh for months. Originally the Mayflower was supposed to arrive in Virginia, however, the settlers started to run low on beer before they arrived. To save themselves, they choose to arrive on the land closest to them, Plymouth. Even while in Plymouth where there was fresh water, the settlers figured out a way to make beer out of acorns since they believed that the water might make them sick like the water in England would. This new acorn beer helped keep the early settlers alive. Later when America started to develop more and small towns were created, taverns, a place where beer is mainly sold, became the center of commerce where people often traded information. During the American Revolution “The taverns became centers where revolutionary activity was discussed and debated and plotted and planned.”[1] Beer was so prevalent in the United States of America that even the tune of the national anthem actually came from an 18th century drinking song that was originally a sobriety test.