Fox News legal correspondent David Spunt reflects on the life and legacy of former President Jimmy Carter on ‘Fox News Live.’
Tributes to life former President Jimmy Carter continue to roll in after 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 as a “hero.”
Boston Brewing Co. founder, Jim Kochwho famously launched his own Sam Adams lager from home, credits Carter with starting America’s craft beer movement.
Sam Adams founder Jim Koch speaks in Boston during his 13th annual craft beer competition. (Cooking the American Dream)
| Ticker | Safety | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALONE | BOSTON BEER CO. INCH. | 314.92 | -1.32 |
-0.42% |
“It was absolutely correct that Jimmy Carter relaxed the rules in 1979 to allow people to home brew,” Koch said. San Diego Reader in a 2022 interview “The first time since Prohibition. And that helped start this whole microbrewery process.”
Beer lovers across America have more options than ever before thanks to Carter — who famously avoided most alcohol because of his Southern Baptist beliefs — after he signed legislation legalizing homebrewing.
HOW FORMER PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER TRANSFORMED THE AVIATION INDUSTRY
HR 1337, which Carter signed On October 14, 1978, he declared that any adult would be allowed to “produce wine and beer for personal and family use and not for sale, without payment of excise duty on wine or beer or any penalties” for up to 200 gallons produced.
Former President Jimmy Carter before the game between the Atlanta Falcons and the Cincinnati Bengals at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on September 30, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Scott Cunningham/Getty Images/Getty Images)
This first generation of post-1978 homebrewers “paved the way 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 100 birthday in October.
“The brewing community is grateful to President Jimmy Carter and his legacy lives on in every batch of beer produced,” he said.
LEGACY OF JIMMY, ROSALYNN CARTER HABITAT FOR HUMANITY WILL CONTINUE, ORGANIZATION SAYS
In December 1978, barely two months after the federal legalization of homebrewing, the American Homebrewers Association was founded in Boulder, Colorado.
The American Home Brewers Association now estimates that between 500,000 and 750,000 Americans brew “at least one series of beer at home” per year, according to its website.
Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, the third largest craft brewery in the United States, began as a homebrew operation. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/Getty Images)
Many craft breweries, including now larger brands like Boston Brewing Co. and Sierra Nevada, started producing domestic beer.
On Sunday, the day Carter died, the American Homebrewers Association issued a statement remembering the former president and his contributions to the homebrewing community and proposed a glass in his honor.
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Cheers and thanks to America’s domestic hero, President Jimmy Carter, the statement said.
FOX News Digital’s Christine Rousselle contributed to this report.
