Jimmy Carter remembered as 'hero' that sparked craft beer industry
Sam Adams maker and home brewers credit former President Carter for his role igniting America's craft beer industry
A look back on the life of former President Jimmy Carter
Fox News justice correspondent David Spunt reflects on the life and legacy of former President Jimmy Carter on ‘Fox News Live.’
Tributes honoring the life of former President Jimmy Carter continue to roll in following his death over the weekend, and while the 39th commander-in-chief is remembered for many contributions, the craft beer industry has long hailed him a "hero."
Boston Beer Co. founder Jim Koch, who famously launched his Sam Adams lager from home, credits Carter with sparking America's craft brew movement.
Sam Adams founder Jim Koch speaks in Boston during its 13th annual craft beer competition. (Brewing the American Dream)
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAM | BOSTON BEER CO. INC. | 301.26 | +1.28 | +0.43% |
Boston Beer Co., Inc.
"It was absolutely true that Jimmy Carter relaxed the rules in 1979 to allow people to home brew," Koch told The San Diego Reader in an interview from 2022. "First time since Prohibition. And that helped begin this whole microbrewery process."
Beer lovers throughout America have more options than ever before thanks to Carter — who famously eschewed most alcohol because of his Southern Baptist beliefs — after he signed a law legalizing home brewing.
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HR 1337, which Carter signed on Oct. 14, 1978, stated that any adult would be permitted to "produce wine and beer for personal and family use and not for sale without incurring the wine or beer excise taxes or any penalties" for up to 200 gallons brewed.
Former President Jimmy Carter is seen prior to the game between the Atlanta Falcons and the Cincinnati Bengals at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Sept. 30, 2018. (Scott Cunningham/Getty Images / Getty Images)
This first generation of post-1978 home brewers "forged the path for the modern craft beer movement and the more than 9,300 breweries in the U.S. today," Brewers Association CEO Bob Pease told Fox News Digital via email the week of Carter's 100th birthday in October.
"The brewing community is grateful to President Jimmy Carter and his legacy lives on in every batch of beer brewed," he said.
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In December 1978, barely two months after the federal legalization of home brewing, the American Homebrewers Association was established in Boulder, Colorado.
The American Homebrewers Association now estimates that between 500,000 and 750,000 Americans brew "at least one batch of beer at home" annually, according to its website.
Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, the third-largest craft brewery in the U.S., began as a homebrew operation. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images / Getty Images)
Many craft breweries, including now-larger brands such as Boston Brewing Co. and Sierra Nevada, began as home-brew operations.
On Sunday, the day Carter died, the American Homebrewers Association issued a statement remembering the former president and his contribution to the homebrewing community, and suggested raising a glass in his honor.
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"Cheers, and thank you to an American homebrew hero, President Jimmy Carter," the statement reads.
FOX News Digital's Christine Rousselle contributed to this report.