6 Aug 10
How Jimmy Carter Saved the Craft Beer Industry
Jimmy Carter may singlehandedly be the reason that we don’t already have a futuristic renewable energy economy, but he made it so when we drink away our sorrows we can enjoy a tasty microbrew:
When prohibition was lifted, government tightly regulated the market, and small scale producers were essentially shut out of the beer market altogether. Regulations imposed at the time greatly benefited the large beer makers. In 1979, Carter deregulated the beer industry, opening back up to craft brewers. … You can see how the large brewers continued to consolidate and grow and absorb more and more market share right up to the point where Carter deregulated the industry.
