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 be held 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 a “hero.” .
The founder of Boston Brewing Co. Jim Koch, who famously launched his own Sam Adams lager from the house, credits Carter with sparking America’s craft brewing movement.
Sam Adams founder Jim Koch speaks in Boston during the 13th annual craft beer competition. (Making the American Dream)
| TICKER | Safety | The last one | AmENdmENT | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAM | BOSTON BEER CO. INC. | 316.24 | +2.56 |
+0.82% |
“It was absolutely true that Jimmy Carter relaxed the rules in 1979 to allow people to drink at home,” Koch told The San Diego Reader in an interview from 2022. “For the first time since Prohibition. And that helped start the whole microbrewery process.”
Beer lovers across America have more options than ever thanks to Carter — who famously avoided most alcohol because of his Southern Baptist beliefs — after signing a law legalizing home brewing .
HOW FORMER PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER TRANSFORMED THE AVIATION INDUSTRY
HR 1337, which Carter signed on October 14, 1978, declared that any adult would be permitted to “breed wine and beer for personal and household use and not for sale without payment of wine or beer excise or any penalty” 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 home brewers after 1978 “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 last week. 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 produced,” he said.
JIMMY, ROSALYNN CARTER’S HABITAT FOR HUMAN HERITAGE WILL CONTINUE, ORGANIZATION SAYS
In December 1978, barely two months after the federal legalization of homebrewing, the American Homebrewers Association was formed in Boulder, Colorado.
The American Association of Home Manufacturers now estimates that between 500,000 and 750,000 Americans manufacture “at least one pile of beer at home” each year, according to its website.
Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, the third largest craft brewery in the United States, began as a home brewing operation. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/Getty Images)
Many craft breweries, including already larger brands like Boston Brewing Co. and Sierra Nevada, began as home-brewing operations.
On Sunday, the day Carter died, the American Home Brewers Association released a statement remembering the former president and his contributions to the home brewing community and suggested raising a glass in his honor.
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“Salute and thank you to the American hero, President Jimmy Carter,” the statement said.
FOX News Digital’s Christine Rousselle contributed to this report.
