An Introduction to Beer Nation: The History and Revival of Everyone's Favorite Reed Institution
“As institutional, exclusive, and uptight as Beer Nation might seem to thirsty freshmen, it is ultimately a product of student creativity and a quarter-century of student work. It’s a far better solution than having the beer gardens run by the CSOs, or by Bon Appetit, or not having gardens at all. The pre-Powell era when the beer flowed like wine is gone forever, and we should all pour one out for it, but once we do, it’s time to pick up that fence or shoulder that toolbox.” - Opal Click ‘16, The Grail, March 2015
A History of Booze at Reed
In the days of Olde Reede, circa the 1980s and long before the founding of Beer Nation, beer flowed freely at campus socials (including balls, rugby games, etc.). When Renn Fayre rolled around so would the infamous beer truck, where Reedies of all ages could fill up on cheap beer with the only limitation being no containers larger than a gallon allowed. However, following a series of unfortunate (evil) events, in April 1986, the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) was tipped off to the whole minors-drinking-beer-situation. Oops! By 1990, the OLCC had a formal meeting with college admin and students where it was confirmed: Yes, that is indeed illegal </3.
On top of that, everyone’s least favorite “Drug Czar” William Bennet of the Bush Sr. administration, of all the colleges available, cited Reed’s Student Body Handbook specifically as an example of the “decadence and moral decay” of America’s educational institutions (and what about it?!). From 1989 to 1991, Reed joined universities across the nation in laying down explicit laws regarding student conduct, including a shiny new drug and alcohol policy. Thus, with the state and federal government both praying on our downfall, Olde Reede was dead. All this to say, we now have gated and legally compliant gardens, so please bring your ID xoxo.
It’s from this tumultuous period that the Reed Homebrewers Collective was born. On the belief that it is safer (and dare I say, more honorable,) for alcohol to be consumed in the open where peers can look out for each other and have easy access to harm reduction resources, the Reed Homebrewers Collective took on its role of delivering booze to the masses. To circumvent the restrictions against using student body funds to purchase substances, Senate instead gave the RHC money to brew the booze themselves! You can maybe see the irony here, and so did Senate, as about a year later Beer Nation was officially founded and fully funded; free from the clutches of the federal government, students were now allowed to host official Beer Gardens™.
Now, this decision wasn’t supported by everyone. Just by the hundreds of students, alumni, and Community Safety Officers who met the administration's attempts in the mid-1990s to ban student-run beer gardens with a sustained letter-writing campaign in defense of Beer Nation. That, of course, wasn’t enough though, and into the early 2000s Beer Nation continued to clash with administration, and gardens would flip-flop between being student-run and contractor-run. Thankfully, the final decision was made in 2002 to bring beer back into the hands of students. Hooray!
BRING BACK OLDE REEDE (or at least the safe parts xx): BN Revival and Future
Beer has always and will always be consumed on college campuses. Though other universities may resist and reject this reality, Reed embraces it through Beer Nation: by planning and promoting school-funded beer gardens, students have direct agency over how drinking culture is shaped in our community. Plus, beyond our role in alcohol safety, gardens are good cheap fun! They’re also fully catered so you don't drink on an empty stomach, along with kombucha on tap in case you’re not vibing with the beer/cider options! And, given our long history, Beer Nation is one of the few student groups with strong connections to alumni, who attend gardens and love to yap (ask them about Olde Reede traditions!).
The ideal Beer Nation is a public service, supporting community-building and embodying the best parts of Olde Reede. With higher education becoming increasingly dry, Beer Nation showcases what makes Reed, Reed! Admittedly, in the past couple of years, Beer Nation has fallen short of this potential, but we hope to change that!! Reach out! Get involved! Top 6 Beer Nation!! We’ll make it worth your while!