Ron Smith

Ron Smith began to take an academic interest in beer after a failed attempt at gaining basic knowledge from a barkeep. “Everyone knew a lot about wine, but nothing about beer. The only commonly known beer categories in the late ‘80s / early 90’s were light and dark.” A self-proclaimed rabid researcher, Ron enjoys reading about brewing history, especially if it pertains to the southeastern United States. “A lot of the brewing history in the South was forgotten during Prohibition. Often a town doesn’t even realize they had a brewery at one point in their history, let alone saloons that sold the local brew.”

Writing the story behind the beer is a favorite of Mr. Smith. Answering questions like: Why are German beers so prevalent in Mexico and parts of Asia? Researching the location of a historic brewery and taking a road trip to view its former location is becoming a pastime. “I can imagine the coal fueled and steam-powered breweries operating and the horse drawn drays taking the barreled beer out to the local community.”

Ron hopes to continue writing about the history of beer in America and the brewers that make the country’s beer culture great.