When President Jimmy Carter signed a bill legalizing homebrewing in 1978, fewer than 100 breweries were operating in the United States. Two years ago, a study of the country's beer scene found nine metropolitan areas with more than 100 active breweries.
Correlation is not causation, of course, but any history of the explosive growth of American craft beer over the past four decades should include the small but vital role that Carter played in unleashing that flood of suds—and the tremendous amount of economic growth produced by the once-stale, now-thriving American beer market. And despite a deep personal aversion to hagiographic histories of any American president, this week's news that Carter is receiving hospice care at home has me thinking about exactly how much credit the 39th president deserves for the proliferation of crisp lagers and bitter IPAs on offer at thousands of American craft breweries.
