Tasa Drying Shed

The Tasa Drying Shed is an example of a special-use building on Norwegian farms that supported self-sufficiency in rugged, relatively isolated landscapes. Built around 1860 on Knut Thompson Tasa's farm in Goodhue County, Minnesota, it was constructed in the United States with American construction techniques and Norwegian design and function. It was probably used during harvest season to dry grain for brewing beer, as a stone-hearth oven warmed water-soaked barley until it sprouted and dried. In Norway, beer was brewed and served on special occasions such as weddings and Christmas, and some Norwegian-American families continued that tradition in the United States. Brewing began with barley that was sprouted and dried; six bushels of barley made a 50-gallon barrel of beer. The dried barley was ground in a horse-powered mill, then placed in a barrel with ground malt, wild hops, and water that had been boiled and cooled. The malt solution was drained off and cooked, yeast was added, and the beer aged in a barrel for two or more weeks until it tasted right. Beer was made in the fall and sometimes also in the spring. This tradition later collided with temperance, a religious and social condemnation of drinking and drunkenness that many Norwegian Americans supported. Andrew Volstead, a U.S. Congressman from Minnesota and the son of Norwegian immigrants, sponsored the National Prohibition Act, also called the Volstead Act. From 1920 to 1933, the Eighteenth Amendment made it illegal to make, sell, or even possess intoxicating liquors. After Prohibition ended, few families returned to brewing beer, and the purpose of buildings like this was largely forgotten.

Decorah, Iowa · United States