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Author Em Sauter pours a sample of beer during her talk at the Kent Memorial Library July 23.
Ruth Epstein
Sauter traced the history of the fermented beverage back to Egyptian times, noting that they brewed beer for the pharaohs with the belief they would have it in the afterlife.
“They would drink it through straws because it contained a lot of sediment,” she said.
Sauter then delved into the various types of beer that developed over the centuries. By the 17th and 18th centuries, porter, a dark variety, was popular. Pale lager was first brewed in 1842 in Czechoslovakia. At this time glassware also came into vogue, so imbibers could see what they were drinking.
Sauter said beer brewing can be credited for transformative innovations such as refrigeration and pasteurization.
Em Sauter, cartoonist and advanced cicerone — otherwise known as a beer expert — is the author of several books written and illustrated on the topic of beer. Ruth Epstein
Beer brewing probably came to America with the founding of Jamestown in 1609, Sauter said. “Pilgrims drank it for its caloric content and because it tasted good,” she said, dispelling the myth that early English settlers consumed it primarily because the water was unsafe.
Sauter said Native Americans later taught the Pilgrims to brew beer using malt, corn, beans and pumpkins, although she joked “it wasn’t very good.”
As breweries began to sprout up in America, brewery owners became extremely wealthy. Anthony Morris is credited with starting the first brewery in Philadelphia, and many others opened leading up to the Revolutionary War as a way for colonists to show they weren’t going to support the king or British beer.
Sauter noted that many of the Founding Fathers had a connection to beer. George Washington’s Mt. Vernon and Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello had breweries, John Adams had a barley crop and Samuel Adams was a maltster.
Following the Revolutionary War, beer fell out of favor, giving way to hard cider, bourbon and whiskey.
At this point, the second tasting — an American lager called Sway — was distributed.
Sauter said many of the beer companies were founded by immigrants, listing those of Budweiser, Miller High Life and Coors. Yuengling, she said, is the oldest continuing brewery in the United States, located in Pennsylvania.
Turning to Prohibition, which ran from 1920 to 1933, Sauter said breweries used various ingredients to survive, including malted milk, cream, soda and malt.
The first beer can came into existence in 1935 in Richmond, Va. By the mid-20th century, 80% of all beer sold in the United States was sold in either bottles or cans.
The 1950s was the “golden age of advertising for beer,” Sauter said, showing an illustration of “Miss Rheingold,” the face of Rheingold beer who was elected in a voting-based beauty pageant. Diet beer came on the scene in the 1960s.
The third and last sampling, Dwell, was passed out as Sauter described the history of home brewing, which was illegal until 1978 when President Jimmy Carter signed legislation to allow the activity.
Sauter made mention of hops, which brought several questions, but she said the topic is a complex one and needed a session all on its own. She said almost all beer now contains hops because of their preservative nature.
While beer has seen high and low points, in 2018 it really took off and three breweries were opening a day around the country. Lately, there’s been a reduction. Currently there are approximately 9,570 throughout the country.
Sauter ended by imploring listeners to explore beer, drink it, have fun, adding, “But do it responsibly.”
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BD’s disposable syringe has been selected as one of 16 products competing in the CBIA’s 2026 “Coolest Things Made in Connecticut” contest.
Provided by BD
“The BD Syringe, like all 16 products in this year’s competition, was nominated because it represents the ingenuity and innovation of Connecticut’s manufacturing industry,” said Chris DiPentima, president and CEO of the Connecticut Business & Industry Association (CBIA). “Since they started producing it in Canaan more than six decades ago, the BD Syringe has helped millions of patients worldwide and transformed the healthcare industry.”
The nomination also spotlights the Northwest Corner’s largest employer and its 385,000-square-foot North Canaan manufacturing facility, where syringes that have shaped healthcare for generations are produced.
“This nomination is an honor and a chance to shine a light on the role our team plays in the Canaan community and around the globe,” said Ahmad Warraich, plant manager at BD’s North Canaan operation.
“BD Syringes made in Canaan have supported billions of patients worldwide,” Warraich said. “Our team knows every syringe they make may help a neighbor or a loved one. We’re proud to keep this spirit of innovation going in Connecticut.”
BD spokesperson Alyssa Kretlow said the company is “thrilled” aboutits North Canaan plant’s recognition in the CBIA’s “Coolest Things” competition. “Nominations came from the public and business leaders across the state, so it’s especially meaningful to know our Canaan team’s work was recognized in that way.”
The syringes produced at BD’s Connecticut plant support patient care in more than 70 countries, she said. They have also played a role in some of the world’s most significant public health initiatives, including smallpox eradication efforts, H1N1 vaccination campaigns, and supplying approximately half of the global demand for syringes during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The disposable BD Syringe transformed modern healthcare by replacing reusable glass syringes with sterile, single-use devices that dramatically reduced the risk of cross-contamination while improving patient safety, according to company officials. Today, it remains one of the world’s most widely used medical devices.
The disposable BD Syringe transformed modern healthcare by replacing reusable glass syringes with sterile, single-use devices. Provided by BD
A manufacturing legacy
Previous editions of the contest have featured products from manufacturers across Connecticut, from major aerospace and industrial firms to small food and consumer goods producers.
In the inaugural competition in 2024, Electric Boat’s Virginia-class submarine captured the title of Connecticut’s Coolest Thing Made. Last year’s winner was Ensign-Bickford Aerospace & Defense of Simsbury for its Frangible Joint.
Public voting opens Aug. 20 at cbia.com/coolest-thing.
The recognition comes during another milestone year for BD. On July 9, TIME named the company to its annual list of America’s Best Companies.
CBIA spokesman Scott Beaulieu acknowledged the region’s recognition.
“BD is the first manufacturer from the Northwest Corner to be nominated for the competition, but we’re sure not the last,” he said.
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