Beer lovers credit Jimmy Carter for brewing interest in home and craft brewers

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As former President Jimmy Carter celebrates his 100th birthday, beer lovers throughout America have more options than ever before thanks to a piece of legislation he signed into law.

The legality of home brewing and the flourishing craft beer industry is in large part a testament to Carter, who famously eschewed most alcohol because of his Southern Baptist beliefs. 

"With the stroke of President Carter's pen, the enactment of HR 1337 fueled nationwide interest in home brewing, which in turn set the stage for the first generation of small brewery owners," Brewers Association CEO Bob Pease told Fox News Digital via email this week.

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The Brewers Association is a Colorado-based trade organization with a mission "to promote and protect American craft brewers, their beers and the community of brewing enthusiasts," according to its website. 

It is an organization that likely would not exist had Carter not signed HR 1337 into law. 

President Jimmy Carter legalized home brewing at the federal level and ushered in a new craft beer culture in the United States.  (Getty Images)

HR 1337, which Carter signed on Oct. 14, 1978, stated that any adult would be permitted to "produce wine and beer for personal and family use and not for sale without incurring the wine or beer excise taxes or any penalties" for up to 200 gallons brewed. 

This first generation of post-1978 home brewers "forged the path for the modern craft beer movement and the more than 9,300 breweries in the U.S. today," Pease noted. 

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"The brewing community is grateful to President Jimmy Carter and his legacy lives on in every batch of beer brewed," he said.

The nascent home brewing and craft beer industry grew exponentially following the 1978 federal legalization of the practice, the website CraftBeer.com claims. 

Home brewing, and the production of craft beers, grew rapidly following the federal legalization of the practice.  (iStock)

In December 1978, barely two months after the federal legalization of home brewing, the American Homebrewers Association was established in Boulder, Colorado.

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The American Homebrewers Association now estimates that between 500,000 and 750,000 Americans brew "at least one batch of beer at home" annually, according to its website. 

Many craft breweries, including now-larger brands such as Sierra Nevada, began as home-brew operations. 

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Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., founded in California by Ken Grossman, had its origins as a home-brew shop in the 1970s, the brewery's website said. It is now the third-largest craft brewery in the U.S., according to the Brewers Association.

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., the third-largest craft brewery in the United States, began as a home-brew operation.  (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

"The legalization of home brewing in 1978 sparked the curiosity of hobbyists, and our founder Ken Grossman had already been quietly running a home-brew shop since 1976," the company's website said. 

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"Ahead of Sierra Nevada opening in 1980, Ken perfected the Pale Ale recipe in true home-brewer fashion: making 5-gallon batches nearly every week until it was ready for 10-barrel prime time," the website said. 

Today, Sierra Nevada produces more than a million barrels per year.