The Year Was 1907

Step into the time machine and let's travel back to 1907 in Western Pennsylvania! Life was a little different back then. People worked hard in factories, mines, and mills, and families often lived in cramped houses. But despite the challenges, folks still knew how to have a good time. One popular pastime was drinking beer. Beer was brewed locally and transported to bars and restaurants by horse and carriage.

1907 was an eventful year in history. Some key events include the opening of the Panama Canal construction, the founding of the Boy Scouts of America, the explosion of the Monongah Coal Mine in West Virginia, and the first transatlantic wireless telegraph message sent by Guglielmo Marconi. In the arts, Pablo Picasso painted his masterpiece "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon," and in science, Albert Einstein published his theory of special relativity. The year also saw the invention of many things, including the first commercially successful helicopter, the first ever movie color film, and Stoney's Beer.

Beer brewing was a big deal in Western Pennsylvania in the early 1900s. Breweries like us cranked out the good stuff by the barrelful. The process of making beer was no joke either. First, barley was soaked in water to begin the germination process. Then came kilning, which stopped the germination and dried out the barley. After that, the dried malt was mashed and boiled with hops to make a sweet liquid called wort. The wort was then fermented with yeast, which turned the sugars into alcohol. Finally, the beer was carbonated and bottled or kegged for distribution.

To get Stoney’s Beer to thirsty customers, we used horse-drawn wagons. Those horses were pros and could maneuver through the crowded city streets with ease. They'd deliver the beer to bars and restaurants all over the area. There's nothing quite like enjoying a pure, honest beer after a long day of hard work.

So even though life was tough in 1907, the people of Western Pennsylvania knew how to make the most of it. Drinking beer was a favorite way to unwind and socialize, and breweries were an essential part of the local economy. We may not live in that world anymore, but we can still appreciate the hardworking folks who built the foundation for the world we know today. Cheers to them!