Nov 04 2009
The History Of American Home Brewing
At first, home beer brewing was illegal in America, before the laws changed and made America one of the top producing beer countries on the 90’s… and now we see the decline once again with the tough economic times forcing many companies out of business and into bankruptcy. This has of course led to more and more people drinking to drown their sorrows, so to speak, but many more are actually turning this lust for beer into a productive past time by starting their own home brewery… and what a way to go!
Over time there has been lot’s of change in the American Home Brewing scene. Once upon a time, greats such as Thomas Jefferson and George Washington participated in brewing their own beer… and they absolutely loved it! Through their guidance, many people were passionate about making their own beer at home.
However, there was a time of prohibition that was devastating to the American population. Prohibition meant that it was illegal to brew your own beer, and heavy fines where placed on people who broke this law… and what a shame that was… some people even went to prison for having a home brewery! Can you imagine a life without beer? Everybody had to content with a watered down lifeless beer - well not really beer but something which was a very poor substitute for it. Nothing substantially alcoholic was allowed and few took efforts in making their drinks less alcoholic but tasty. Unfortunately the American people had to suffice and deal with prohibition. This then led to shop owners renaming all equipment so it couldn’t be associated with running home brewery and started selling it on the sly to hardcore supporters of brewing beer at home. This was quiet easy because the equipment is fairly standard, including buckets, hosing, pots, pans, and other tidbits. The situation varied from state to state. In some states, only those selling home brews were caught while in some, brewing for personal consumption also meant facing legal charges. Good thing those laws have been since relaxed and prohibition has truly been and gone!
One of the pioneers of legalized home beer brewing was Charlie Papazian. He was the man responsible for teaching thousands of others how to brew their own beer at home, and obtain the permit they needed for doing so (as it was still illegal to brew beer at home without one). Some say that his work led to the laws eventually being completely relaxed, but it is unclear as most history is so. Nonetheless, 1935 was a great year for home brewers and changed the way the world views home brewing today.
Over time, all the ridiculous rules about brewing beer at home were fully relaxed with Jimmy Carter signing an amendment in 1978 to allow home brewers the opportunity to brew up to 200 gallons of beer a year without any permits or other silly nuances. This then sparked interest far and wide for the American Home Brewer and really led the emergence of a beer nation like no other.
American Home Brewing is alive and well today, so naturally it’s time to sit down, relax, and enjoy a home brew. For those still not up to speed with home brewing beer, click on the link to learn more!
