American Soldiers' Wwi Beer Of Choice

Although the American Expeditionary Forces were technically “dry” before the US 18th Amendment was ratified in 1920, soldiers soon discovered where to find beer and wine. A US Signal Corps photograph is captioned: American soldiers in a captured German trench drinking beer out of steins and smoking cigars. During the American occupation of Germany in 1919, Charles MacArthur of the 149th Field Artillery Regiment wrote that his battery had run into real German beer, a little watery for the famine in grain.

Lager was considered a non-intoxicating health drink

The Turners, a group of German intellectuals who had staged a failed democratic revolution in Germany in 1848 and then fled to the US, were influential in promoting lager as a non-intoxicating drink. They advocated for lager to be excluded from liquor bans and, as fitness enthusiasts, argued that it supported a healthy lifestyle. Lager was also considered a safer alternative to whiskey, which was often sold illegally and dangerously in the camps.

During World War I, the US Army faced a readiness problem, and the Turners, who made up about 3% of the Union Army, played a significant role in introducing mandatory outdoor calisthenics and improving physical fitness. Their influence extended to promoting lager as a beverage of choice for soldiers. Lager was purchased with "sutler's tokens" and became an issue item, especially around Washington, DC, where Union troops were predominantly German. The Sanitary Commission even declared that lager reduced instances of camp diarrhea and prescribed it for convalescing soldiers.

After World War I, lager was again considered intoxicating, and it was not until World War II that lager was once more provided to soldiers, with the government standard for beer contracting set at 3.2% ABV.

Beer was used as a reward and a cure

In the early days of World War I, British soldiers were treated with rum. Even though medical research had proven that rum reduced shooting accuracy, it was administered as a treatment for everything from shell shock to wounds, exhaustion, hypothermia, and even the deadly flu. One Tommy recalls a medical officer saying, "Fill him up with rum and let him take his chance. He's got Spanish flu." The treatment knocked him out for three days, but he survived.

During World War II, beer was considered so important to troop morale that the government instructed the brewing industry to allocate 15% of their production to the military effort. Brewers were more than happy to oblige, launching an aggressive public relations campaign touting their many contributions to the war, including tax payments to support war production.

In the Pacific, beer was not always easy to find or evenly distributed across the services. In another instance, Vernon Moret described how Coca-Cola dried up before the beer. Many photos of servicemen and their beer rations exist in the Museum's collection. For example, a photo of Seabees enjoying their beer rations on Recreation Island.

In World War I, beer was used as a reward and a cure. For example, at the Battle of St. Mihiel, France, in September 1918, the 353rd Infantry Regiment, 89th Division Intelligence Section, reported:

> "In the evening of September 13, the Regimental observers established an O.P. [observation post] on the high ground south of Xammes. While occupying this O.P. the observers lived on the fat of the land. An abandoned German commissary in Xammes furnished bread, honey, butter, jam, gold-tipped cigarettes and cigars – from the well-kept German gardens in the vicinity came a variety of vegetables – and crowning all, German beer, wine and schnapps were on tap in former Boche (German) bars (for the ‘dry’ All-Kansas regiment)."

Beer was exempt from prohibition

Beer was a universal drink during World War I, and its consumption continued into World War II, despite the Prohibition era in the United States between 1920 and 1933.

The Eighteenth Amendment, which prohibited the production, importation, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages, was ratified in January 1919 and came into effect in January 1920. However, the consumption of alcohol was not prohibited, and many people stockpiled wines and liquors before the sales ban took effect.

During the Prohibition era, some states refused to enforce the ban on alcohol. Maryland, for example, never enacted an enforcement code and became known as one of the most anti-Prohibition states. New York repealed its measures in 1923, and other states also became increasingly lax in their enforcement as the years went on.

While the production and sale of beer were banned, breweries found creative ways to stay afloat. Some companies, such as Yuengling and Anheuser-Busch, started producing ice cream, while others, like Coors, diversified into ceramics and pottery. Many brewers also sold "near beer," which contained less than 0.5% alcohol and was legal under Prohibition.

The Prohibition era ended with the ratification of the Twenty-first Amendment in December 1933. This amendment repealed the Eighteenth Amendment and allowed for the resumption of beer production and sales.

Beer was used to foster camaraderie

In the British Army, for example, soldiers were treated with and to rum. The official ration was 2.5 fluid ounces (or about 70ml) per man, twice weekly for soldiers serving behind the front lines or resting, and daily for those in the trenches. The rum was often mixed with heavily sweetened coffee, tea, or cocoa to mask the poor taste of the water. While drunkenness in the trenches was punishable by death, in practice, officers turned a blind eye to it. Beer was also a prize in morale-boosting competitions, from football matches to horse races, and was exchanged as gifts between German and British regiments during the Christmas Truce of 1914.

In the American Expeditionary Forces, although they were technically "dry" even before the ratification of the 18th Amendment in 1920, soldiers often managed to find beer and wine. For example, a U.S. Signal Corps photograph is captioned: "American soldiers in a captured German trench drinking beer out of steins and smoking cigars." Beer was also consumed by American soldiers during the occupation of Germany in 1919, where it was described as "a little watery for the famine in grain."

The role of beer in fostering camaraderie extended beyond the battlefield and into the communities affected by the war. In England in 1918, the Hart Family Brewers produced a commemorative extra pale ale called the "Flyer" to honour a World War I flying ace, Major Mick Mannock. Beer halls and beer gardens in the United States, particularly those frequented by German immigrants, also served as important social spaces where families gathered for music, political discussions, and lager drinking.

The consumption of beer and other alcoholic beverages during World War I was so prevalent that it caught the attention of temperance organizations and prohibitionists, who used the anti-German sentiment of the war to target the domestic brewing industry. Despite the efforts of German-American brewers to prove their patriotism, breweries shuttered, and German immigrants changed their names and abandoned German cultural practices due to the intense anti-German sentiment.

Beer was considered a source of entertainment and solace

Beer was a source of entertainment and solace for soldiers during World War I. While the American Expeditionary Forces were technically "dry" before the ratification of the 18th Amendment in 1920, soldiers quickly discovered where they could find beer and wine. One photograph from the U.S. Signal Corps, for instance, shows "American soldiers in a captured German trench drinking beer out of steins and smoking cigars."

During World War II, the U.S. government also considered beer essential for troop morale and instructed brewers to allocate 15% of their production for the military. Brewers were happy to comply, launching public relations campaigns touting their contributions to the war effort, including tax payments to support war production. Beer was also supplied to defense workers to boost productivity.

Beer was so important to the war effort that brewers were given privileged access to rationed goods such as rubber, gasoline, and tin cans, and they were granted status as an essential wartime industry. Beer was even considered a health beverage, with The Sanitary Commission declaring that lager reduced instances of camp diarrhea and prescribing it for convalescing soldiers.

Beer was also a source of entertainment and camaraderie for soldiers. During the famous Christmas Truce of 1914, for example, some German and British regiments exchanged gifts of beer. And in the years following World War II, beer gardens—communal gathering spaces for towns and cities across the country—became popular once again.

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