Did you know…on October 14, 1978, Jimmy Carter signed H.R. 1337, which contained an amendment (5354) sponsored by Senator Alan Cranston (D-CA) and Representative William Steiger (R-WI) that legalized homebrewing? That amendment created an exemption from taxation of beer brewed at home for personal or family use. Essentially, it lifted regulations imposed by Prohibition laws over 50 years previous.
Some states were quick to adopt federal legalization as their state’s policy on home beermaking, while others developed their own language. It wasn’t until 2013—nearly 100 years after Prohibition made homebrewing illegal—that making beer at home became legal in all 50 states, with Mississippi and Alabama both establishing homebrew legality in that year.
American Homebrewers Association members were there, active, brewing and fueling the movement and legaliziation efforts every step of the way.
Did you know the above?
Yes I knew Carter legalized homebrewing by signing a bill that created an exemption from taxation and lifted regulations imposed by Prohibition.
I lived in Mississippi in 2013 so I knew way more than I would like about homebrewing law. AHA had a big role in passing the Mississippi legislation. Gary Glass came down at least twice to help with homebrewing parties at the state capital and other education about homebrewing in the period leading up to the change.
To bad (to my knowledge) he never home brewed. I know Billy did lol.
Nevertheless, it would have been fun to have an “Official President Carter recipe” to brew in his honor of both this anniversary and his 100th birthday. . . I guess I’ll dust off the President Obama recipes for something presidential.
I was old enough to “legally*” drink for the last part of the Carter Administration, but no where near anywhere to get “Billy Beer”. I assume it was an American Light Lager? It would be cool to brew a Billy Beer clone to honor President Carter’s legalization of homebrewing.
*Actually, I was a high school Army Brat in Germany when Carter was elected, so I was old enough to legally drink - in Germany (I was 18 in 1976, so I was able to vote in that election).
