Utah became the first state in the past 10 years to legalize the homebrewing of beer, leaving just four states where the practice is still illegal, according to the Brewers Association. Governor Jon M. Huntsman, Jr. of Utah signed the "Exemption for Alcoholic Beverage Manufacturing License" into law Tuesday.
The new legislation might seem like small potatoes to those not close to the beer industry, but for the development of microbreweries and brewpubs, it's important to have a thriving homebrew culture.
Though not a well-known fact outside of beer circles, as Jennifer Talley, a brewmaster in Salt Lake City, states, "Most professional brewers I know were once homebrewing." Additionally, as I reported earlier this month, topflight homebrewers are often major industry contributors, whether it be by passing on innovative product ideas to their professional counterparts or participating as beer judges at major brewing events.
Homebrewing has been legal on a federal level since 1978, and the American Homebrewers Association estimates that there are approximately 750,000 homebrewers in the United States today.
Let's hope we can get those last four states on board and make it legal for every American to brew their own beer. Alabama already has an active legalization movement. Something tells me this latest development in Utah will help spur movements in Kentucky, Mississippi and Oklahoma as well.
[Via beertown.org]
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