The pilgrims on the Mayflower may have been the first Americans to create beer policy when the beer supplies, which was their only source of hydration, ran low and forced them to land short of warmer latitudes. During the US Civil War, immigrant and first-generation American brewers demonstrated their patriotism by forming one of the first trade organizations, the US Brewer’s Association. Since then, beer policy has influenced American culture from World Wars, prohibition, a three-tier system, legalization of homebrewing, trade tariffs and more. In the mid-80s, the US Brewer’s Association evolved into the Beer Institute and has been advocating for sound policy for the three hundred billion dollar industry ever since.
Love it or hate it, policy and politics affect our daily lives in very complicated, even subtle ways. I recommend that the next time you go to Washington D.C. and meet with your representative, meet them at a bar and offer them a beer.
Show Links
The Beer Institute, Founded 1862
Homebrew Act – Jimmy Carter 1979