Thursday, September 1, 2011
The Jimmy Carter Commemorative Golden Beer Coin
It came to me in a dream. I was thinking about all of the great beers we have in New England when I drifted off…
To commemorate one of the most important presidential bills ever signed, we offer this Limited Edition, one of a kind, Jimmy Carter Commemorative Golden Beer Coins. The images on the coin show; A likeness of Jimmy Carter, some sort of engraving depicting Barley and Hops, a mug of beer and the year 1978.
Homebrewing Legalized! - On October 14, 1978, President Jimmy Carter signed bill H.R. 1337, creating an exemption from taxation for beer brewed at home for personal or family use. Why is this SO important? In 1933, Prohibition finally ended as the 21st Amendment went into effect. Hooray! Right?
Not so fast, Beer Boy or Girl. The absence of two key words, “and beer” from the repeal that legalized home winemaking, made homebrewing a criminal offense in the eyes of the law. Then, finally after forty five years of presidential dillydallying, and oh, a few major wars, Jimmy Carter, 39th president of the USA, did the righteous thing. He signed a bill that has had profound effects upon the brewing industry as we know it today. This effectively ended Prohibition!
Just weeks after the law went into effect, homebrewing advocates Charlie Papazian and Charlie Matzen launched the American Homebrewers Association (AHA) in Boulder, CO with the publication of the first issue of Zymurgy (the branch of applied chemistry dealing with fermentation, as in winemaking, brewing, the preparation of yeast, etc.) Magazine.
This enthusiastic and creative outpouring of homebrewing (so to speak) directly led to the micro and craft brewing revolution. Some of those early homebrewers went on to create small breweries. And from those breweries flowed real beer. Unlike the mass-produced bland suds we were previously stuck drinking, these lovingly crafted beers had an enchanting appearance, lovely aromas and deep, complex flavors. Homebrewers were free to re-create authentic, flavorful beer styles previously available only overseas in places like the UK, Germany, France or Belgium.
We should raise a glass to the peanut farmer from Georgia every time we taste a wonderfully crafted beer.
Let’s declare a national holiday! Jimmy Carter Beer Day! As a day to make beer, buy beer, drink beer (responsibly), frolic about and celebrate beer! Ok, forget the frolicking part. That’s just wrong!
To order your coin, send a “Please Rush” request to;
Where’s my Damn Jimmy Carter Commemorative Golden Beer Coins?
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington DC 0XXOO
Cheers! And good luck!
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