Curators at Work: Virginia's Brewed Past

Did you know that September includes holidays like “Crush a Can Day” and “National Drink Beer Day”? In recent years, Virginia’s craft beer scene has exploded with IPAs, Sours, Sessions, and whatever your homebrewer friend concocted in their garage. In the early 20th century, Richmond made history as the first testing ground for canned beer—just one part of a brewing tradition in the Commonwealth that reaches back 300 years.

On September 10, 2021, VMHC curator Paige Newman explored Virginia’s beer history through recipes, advertisements, photographs of local watering holes, and other beer-related artifacts that will be sure to wet your whistle.