We’ve all seen the images.A small dusty saloon filled with old time cowboys sipping on jugs of beer.But how did the old timers keep their brew cold pre-chiller days?
Saloons served up volumes of beer daily in the Wild West, but in those days beer was never served ice cold.Before the invention of refrigeration and chillers, beer was usually served at a warm 55 to 65 degrees.Doesn’t sound appealing does it…wait, it gets worse! Not only was beer served room temperature, it also wasn't as sudsy as it is today.Flat beer sounds yummy…NOT! The cowboys had to knock back their beer quick before it got too flat.
It wasn't until the 1880's that artificial refrigeration and pasteurization was introduced to the U.S. brewing process.Before then, folks in the Old West just didn't expect their beer to be cold.Fortunately for them, the old timers didn’t know what they were missing.Many Americans were accustomed to the European traditions of serving alcohol at room temperature.
So how did they keep their beer ‘somewhat’ cold back in the day? Depends on what part of the country you were in.
Down in Arizona, you’d see signs in front of saloons saying “Cool Beer.” Outside of Flagstaff there is ice caves…yes, ice in Arizona! Saloons would harvest ice from the caves during the summer to cool down their beverages.
Other areas relied on Root cellars for keeping food and drink supplies at controlled temperatures.Root cellars were a good place to store wine, beer, or other homemade alcoholic beverages.
Though the brewery/distillery process has been around for ages, we are pretty lucky to have modern day technology such as chillers to keep our drinks cool and refreshing!
FAQs
Answer and Explanation: In the Old West, people did not always enjoy their beer cold, for their were no modern refrigerators. To keep beer cold, people would keep kegs of beer in caves and rock cellars, lined with harvested river ice. Sometimes, they would even use wet gunny sacks full of sawdust to cool beer, as well.
Did they have cold drinks in the Wild West? ›
Saloons served up volumes of beer daily in the Wild West, but in those days beer was never served ice cold. Before the invention of refrigeration and chillers, beer was usually served at a warm 55 to 65 degrees. Doesn't sound appealing does it…
Was beer warm in the Wild West? ›
Beer was often served at room temperature since refrigeration was mostly unavailable. Adolphus Busch introduced refrigeration and pasteurization of beer in 1880 with his Budweiser brand. Some saloons kept the beer in kegs stored on racks inside the saloon.
Did saloons have cold beer? ›
Saloons served up volumes of beer, but in those days the beer was never ice-cold, usually served at 55 to 65 degrees.
What was the drinking age in the Old West? ›
U.S. history of alcohol minimum purchase age by state
| State | Pre-Prohibition (prior to 1919) | Post-Prohibition (after 1933) |
|---|
| California | Pre 1891: Regulated by municipality/county (common age was 16) 1891: 18 (statewide) | 1933: 21 |
| Colorado | None | (Dec) 1945: 18: for 3.2% near-beer 21: for wine and liquor |
| Connecticut | 21 | 21 |
| Delaware | N/A | 21 |
40 more rowsCowboys never had a reputation for being very sophisticated connoisseurs. The whiskey they drank was simply fuel for the saloons' many other pastimes, whatever those happened to be. Quality and flavor among whiskies in the late 1800s varied widely.
How did people stay cool in the Wild West? ›
More often than not, people simply drank cool drinks in order to stay cool and refreshed. They also wore light colored clothing made out of breathable cotton. In many cases, people would sleep outside so they could take advantage of the cool desert night breeze. We've sure come a long way since the Wild West days!
What was drunk in the Wild West? ›
What were some popular drinks in the Old West? Locally brewed beers, often within the saloon itself. Lagers, Pilsners, Ales, Stouts, etc. Rum probably, massive supplies as it was made wherever there was sugar cane including East Texas, Louisiana, Cuba, Jamaica, Brazil, etc.
What did cowboys call beer? ›
But after the Civil War, beer started showing up in Western saloons and became very popular, as well. It had as many colorful monikers as whiskey: John Barleycorn, purge, hop juice, calobogus, wobbly pop, mancation, let's mosey, laughing water, mad dog, Jesus juice, pig's ear, strike-me-dead, even heavy wet.
Was the beer cold on Gunsmoke? ›
Anheuser-Busch was the original beer served at the Long Branch. Drinks were kept cold in the winter with ice hauled up from the river; in the summer, ice was shipped by train from the mountains of Colorado.
They were able to keep their drinks cool during the summer months by using ice that they stored on their property from the winter. This practice eventually filtered down into everyday life as the price of ice became lower and lower. The second purpose was for transporting food.
How did they have cold beer on Gunsmoke? ›
Up in your part of the country, they'd harvest ice from the rivers in the winter time and store it in caves or rock cellars. It would usually last most of the summer.
How was beer stored in the Old West? ›
As for keeping it cool, although not cold by today's standards, beer was enjoyed at a cooler temperature, stored ingeniously in cellars or cooled with harvested ice blocks. So, while the Wild West was hard, brutal, and, in some cases, total anarchy, at least one could enjoy a (semi) cold beer.
How did they keep things cold in the Wild West? ›
Food would be smoked, dried, salted, fermented or pickled. It would also be kept in root cellars or pits underground. Wealthy people who lived in cold climates were more likely to have an ice pit or later an ice house where they would keep ice for use in warm months.
