Homebrewed History

Professional brewers often get their introduction to brewing by tinkering with beer made at home. Mastering techniques with limited equipment and tweaking recipes with various yeast strains, malt extracts, and hop pellets are all part of the fun.

Believe it or not, homebrewing was not always legal in the US. From 1920 to the 1970s it was not legal to brew beer at home without federal taxation, and that didn’t change until President Carter signed the Homebrew Legalization bill, H.R. 1337, on October 14th, 1978. Even after the bill was signed, each state had their own alcohol regulations regarding brewing at home. Finally in 2013, the last two states, Mississippi and Alabama, legalized homebrewing and now we celebrate National Homebrew Day on May 7th each year.

The American Homebrewers Association supports one of the longest running hobbies in the world and encourages all who are interested to take part in homebrewing by joining a local club in your area or finding out more at your nearby homebrew shop. Most of these organizations participate in the BIG BREW event falling on the first Saturday of May. At this event, you can share and learn from others, partake in demos and recipe trials, and of course, imbibe on the craft from other homebrewers.

National Homebrew Day celebrates the long history and culture of brewing small batch, experimental, craft beer. Stop by our brewery to grab a 4-pack or crowler to share at your next homebrew day or feel free to join our brewer, Alex, for a beer and a chat.

Want to know more about homebrewing?

Visit your local homebrew store and/or go to: https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/