All Hail the Homebrewer – AHA’s annual salut! To the Innovators of Craft Beer

Saturday, May 4th marks the American Homebrewing Association’s 16th annual AHA Big Brew. At noon CT, homebrewers and beer drinkers around the world will simultaneously clink glasses to celebrate the passion for their craft.

, All Hail the Homebrewer – AHA’s annual salut! To the Innovators of Craft Beer“AHA Big Brew is an opportunity for the global community of beer lovers to come together and enjoy the fruits of homebrewing,” said Gary Glass, director of the American Homebrewers Association. “It’s a time to celebrate those who perfect their passion for homemade beers and share them with their friends and loved ones. Homebrewers have a lot to celebrate, as this craft continues to grow. Big Brew lends itself to the spirit of collaboration and community.”

We don’t talk about homebrewing too often here at ACB. But by definition, homebrewing is and has been at the core of the American craft beer movement. According to the Brewers Association definition, an American craft brewer is:

Small – Producing less than 6 million barrels per year
Independent – Less than 25% owned or controlled by an industry member, who is NOT a brewer
Traditional – A brewer who has an all-malt flagship, or has at least 50% volume of malt beers and uses adjuncts to enhance, not lighten, flavor

The 18th amendment, more commonly known as Prohibition, turned a thriving industry of brewers on its ear. With the exception of a few select breweries that were allowed to continue to brew beer for “government purposes,” breweries across the U.S. were forced to manufacture nonalcoholic beverages, other malt-based products, or simply close. Most of these breweries did not survive to see the repeal of Prohibition with the 21st amendment, and the beers we enjoy today nearly died with them.

, All Hail the Homebrewer – AHA’s annual salut! To the Innovators of Craft BeerBy the 1970s, the traditions and styles that were handed down by immigrants from all over the world were disappearing, only to be replaced with American light adjunct lagers – the mass-produced swill (MPS) that had little to no character, tradition, or culture. By the end of the decade, there were only 44 breweries in the U.S., and industry predictions were dire – soon, there would be only 5 brewing companies.

But in 1978, homebrewing was legalized and a grassroots homebrewing culture emerged. Homebrewers with a kitchen and a dream of reintroducing traditional beer styles that were nearly forgotten began brewing in greater and greater numbers, inspiring each other to start their own small brewing companies. Samuel Adams,Sierra Nevada, New Belgium, and Dogfish Head were just a few of those pioneers that went on to become the juggernauts of our industry today. Over 90% of all craft breweries today were founded by homebrewers, and those brewers are very often still an active and integral part of their homebrewing clubs.

In 2012, the craft beer industry in the U.S. saw unprecedented growth with a 15% increase in production and a 17% increase in sales over 2011. There were also 409 new brewery openings in 2012, bringing the total to 2,403 – the highest number since the 1880s. In the background, homebrewers everywhere are continuing to set the pace for innovation and creativity in the craft beer industry.

So on Saturday, joins us and raise a glass to the homebrewers.They delivered us from the “Lite Ages,” and if it wasn’t for them, who knows what we’d be drinking!

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