“Brewing History is American History--and San Antonio History, Too” with Theresa McCulla, PhD

Please note this is an online lecture.

The history of beer and brewing surrounds us, even where we least expect it. Within the walls of the beautiful building that houses the San Antonio Museum of Art, the Lone Star Brewing Company once brewed beer for thirsty Texans (and beyond). This talk will explore the role of beer in histories of urban change, technological innovation, immigration, and culture in San Antonio. It will also discuss the Smithsonian\’s efforts to research, collect, and exhibit the visual and material culture of beer, especially related to the phenomenon of craft brewing.

Theresa McCulla, PhD, is Curator of the American Brewing History Initiative at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History, where she is building a collection of objects, documents, and oral histories related to homebrewing and craft beer in the United States. Previously, she worked for Harvard University Library, Harvard University Dining Services, and the Central Intelligence Agency. McCulla earned a PhD in American Studies and an MA in History from Harvard University, a Culinary Arts Diploma from the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts, and a BA in Romance Languages from Harvard College. Her writing has been published in Quaderni Storici, Gastronomica, The Washington Post, Smithsonian magazine, and other venues. She is writing a book about the history of food and race in New Orleans.