The homebrewing movement no doubt had a key role in the birth of the craft brewing industry. In the early years of craft brewing, most of those who started a craft brewery were homebrewers. Jimmy Carter, who recently passed away at the age of 100, is responsible for making homebrewing legal in the U.S.
On October 14, 1978, then-President Jimmy Carter signed bill HR1337, which included the federal legalization of home beer and winemaking for the first time in 50 years.
“HR1337 was not originally intended to involve homebrewing at all. Instead, the bill primarily dealt with things like excise taxes on trucks and buses,” according to the American Homebrewers Association (AHA) website.
Senator Alan Cranston (D-Calif.) and Representative William Steiger (R-Wis.) introduced Amendment No. 5354 to the bill that included the language to legalize homebrewing. The amendment to the bill allowed adults to brew up to 100 gallons per person, or 200 gallons per household, annually.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (now the Tax and Trade Bureau) recommended that homebrewers should have to register with the agency as a means of ensuring compliance, but this compromise was dismissed.
And the rest is history….