The explosion of craft beer brewing across the United States has created a widespread interest in the process of beer making. A beer festival in Tucson, Arizona, leads us to some local brewers and sends us on a quest to the origin of what makes beer different-hops Nearly all of our hops are cultivated around Yakima, Washington where we follow the annual harvest. We sample as many products of hop production as possible.

Learning Objective

Students will learn about the history, process and culture of beer and breweries in the United States.

Social Studies Standards

Production, Distribution, & Consumption: A, F

Discussion Prompts

• “Beer has taken on a life of its own.” What do you think host David Yetman means by this? Give an example from the video.
• What are some of the agricultural products that the state of Washington has to offer in addition to hops? Compare to the agricultural products in your region.
• Why do the owners of the Bale Brewery state that beer in cans taste better than bottles? What are some of the flavors and aromas mentioned in the video? Which ones are the most and least appealing to you?
• Why is Yakima, Washington one of the main places that hops grow? What type of land and conditions are needed to grow hops?

Lesson Activities

• Create a pamphlet that shares the culture of beer and microbreweries in the United States, including what processes make it a creative endeavor.
• You are a brewery expert hired to increase marketing of several city breweries. In a speech for potential customers, explain what factors you need to produce quality beer.
• Be sure to use terminology of the discipline.
  Create a 3-column chart that lists the materials, ingredients and steps needed in the process of making beer. Be specific.
• Create a poster about hops farming, including the tools and equipment you’d need, the pros and cons of the job, and what skills you would need to be successful.

Vocabulary

• amenable
• cultivate
• debauchery
• enterprise
• homestead
• hops
• microcosm
• microbrewery
• niche
• obsession

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Lesson Plan