Prior to 1978 it was illegal to brew beer at home for personal consumption. We can thank California Senator Alan Cranston for introducing legislation to legalize homebrewing, and President Jimmy Carter for signing it into law.
By Joel Williams
Published: April, 2006
Prior to 1978 it was illegal to brew beer at home for personal consumption. We can thank California Senator Alan Cranston for introducing legislation to legalize homebrewing, and President Jimmy Carter for signing it into law. Homebrewers brew home beer because domestic beer lacks the rich malty taste they like, Cranston said when the measure passed Congress. Homebrewers share a creative desire to concoct beer to their own personal taste.
My brother was a homebrewer. He’s the one who introduced me to the myriad of beer brews—a pleasant departure from the bland, mass-produced, American beers that dominated the market in the ’80’s.
As a result, my taste and interest in microbrews began to grow, along with the microbrewing craze that spawned a slew of new and interesting beer products available for consumption.
I first entered the beer industry in 1992 when I accepted a sales position with a microbrewery in Nashville, TN. One of the first things I did was to learn as much as I could about the brewing process so could understand what was unique about the handcrafted beer I was selling. I was fascinated by all that went into producing a product that I had taken for granted for so many years. I soon gained enough knowledge to guide brewery tours for clients and visitors. I was also frequently called upon to work on the bottling line; and yes, occasionally, we would put a glove on a bottle and wave at it as it headed down the line à la Laverne & Shirley.
A revelation came to me when I went to my first brewfest, representing our product to hundreds of beer savvy consumers. I accompanied the Head Brewer and soon found that he was the most popular person at our booth. Everyone wanted to talk brewing to the brewer.
That evening, all of the brewery representatives gathered around the pool at our hotel and shared each other’s products and swapped stories. The camaraderie amongst the brewers reminded me of my fraternity days in college. It soon dawned on me that I’d be much happier making beer than selling it. I wanted to join the fraternity!
It wasn’t long before I cornered the Head Brewer and asked him how I could get to where he was. He said I needed to get some on the job experience and then go to brewing school, if I wanted to do it right. Now, there are quite a few brewers out there making very good beers with no formal education at all. I have also tasted some very nasty concoctions at brewpubs made by brewers whose only previous experience was making a few gallons of homebrew in their kitchen or garage. This was much more common in the ’90’s when brewpubs were incredibly popular but very inconsistent. Today, the public has a much more discerning palette and is less likely to tolerate a poor product.
So, I took the advice and traded in my sales book for a pair of rubber boots, began working in the brewery and applied to the Siebel Institute of Brewing Technology in Chicago. Siebel has been in existence for over 130 years and boasts alumni from more than 60 countries, many who can be found in almost every major brewery on earth.
I was a bit concerned about the whole classroom scene, being 10 years out of college, but hey, how hard can brewing school be? It turns out that it can be pretty damn hard. The curriculum was loaded with advanced chemistry, microbiology, engineering and physics, complete with lab work.
My classmates included people from South America, Vietnam, Canada, and a very flamboyant trio from Holland representing Heineken Brewery, along with representatives from numerous microbreweries within the U.S.
Trying to reestablish long lost study habits was hard enough, never mind the onsite Bier Stube, an open beer bar located right across the hall from the main classroom, always beckoning with samples. No one was discouraged from imbibing during the 10-minute breaks between classes, and many brought a frosty one back to enjoy during class.
Although, at times, I thought I was in over my head, I earned my diploma in brewing technology and embarked on a professional brewing career in Chicago.
Next month, before you throw caution to the wind and head down the brewing path, find out why I continue to sip, but no longer schlep suds for a living.
