Historical Beer Recommendation: Ulysses S. Grant

If I could make a beer recommendation to “Unconditional Surrender” Grant, I would have a pretty decent idea where to start. Anyone that’s made a visit to the incredibly somber US Grant Memorial would realize that Grant was a man that dealt with some seriously heavy times. At a time when the nation was being torn apart and filled with death and destruction, the need for a level headed logical thinker was never greater. Grant took command of the Union Army and made some tough choices to expedite an end of the war. He was in charge of making decisions that sent ten’s of thousands of men to their death. No wonder he had a reputation as an alcoholic. In reality, the reputation was gained well before the war when he was stationed in 1800 Oregon backwoods, thousands of miles from his family. They say he did not necessarily drink a lot, rather he was 2 sheets to the wind after just a mere drink or two. But, something to keep in mind when making a selection.

Taking his tolerance, the gravity of the times and the masterfully way he lead the union to victory over General Lee and his rebels, I would send Grant a Storm King by Victory brewing in PA. It’s a dark serious beer for people dealing with serious shit, but when the final score is tallied, walking away victorious. It also probably would have matched well with one of his near-hourly cigars.