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Monticello Rough Draft Ale
A new ale made with peaches harvested at Monticello, available for onsite purchase.
Beer at Monticello
At Monticello, beer was a “table liquor” served during dinner, and Thomas Jefferson's earliest designs for his plantation included spaces for brewing and the storage of beer.
“ ...we are this day beginning, under the directions of Capt Miller, the business of brewing Malt liquors...”
Monticello Ales
From the Thomas Jefferson Encyclopedia
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![Wooden barrels sit on their sides next to smaller boxes and barrels hold bottles in Monticello Beer Cellar.]()
Peter Hemings
An enslaved cook, tailor, and master brewer.
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![Wooden barrels sit on their sides next to smaller boxes and barrels hold bottles in Monticello Beer Cellar.]()
EncyclopediaBeer
Explore Jefferson's interest in beer and the history of brewing at Monticello.
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![AI generated image from an original Monticello photograph.]()
EncyclopediaHops
Hops were cultivated at Monticello, and Jefferson also purchased them in fairly large quantities from others to support the brewing of beer on the plantation.
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![A several bright-red apples with greenish bottoms growing on a tree.]()
EncyclopediaApples at Monticello
Jefferson grew four apple varieties at Monticello — prized for cider or dessert — including the Taliaferro, his favorite, which he called the best cider apple in existence. It has since disappeared from cultivation.
