The U.S. presidency carries with it an awesome amount of power and responsibility. That’s the case whether you are talking about nuclear arms—or beer.
The president of the United States is not the only power broker to hold sway over the fortunes of brewers, but the power of the presidency certainly can be felt like the IBUs in an India pale ale.
Public policy shapes everything from the price to the availability of the beer we enjoy. Whether it is a new tax on beer or farm subsidies, politics have an impact on the brewing industry. Sometimes the changes are subtle, in other cases, such as Prohibition, the impact can dramatic.
Senator Joseph T. Robinson of Arkansas, outstanding prohibitionist, called on Franklin Delano Roosevelt at Hyde Park, New York, October 15, 1932. He said Roosevelt's election in November as president would serve as a mandate on Congress to pass legislation for immediate legalization of beer. Roosevelt took office on March 4, 1933, and wasted no time in attacking Prohibition.
The president of the United States is not the only power broker to hold sway over the fortunes of brewers, but the power of the presidency certainly can be felt like the IBUs in an India pale ale.
When it comes to beer and politics, what is good for brewers tends to be good for beer drinkers. A case in point is the Pop the Cap campaigns in North Carolina and South Carolina and Georgians for World Class Beer that were successful in the past few years in changing post-Prohibition restrictions on the maximum alcohol content allowed for beers sold in those states. Overnight, with the passage of state legislation, beer drinkers in places like Charlotte, Spartanburg and Macon could suddenly enjoy barley wine, strong ale and Baltic porter.
Presidential policy decisions have a national impact. They can bring boons or busts for beer. Every vote does count when you are the person setting the direction for the nation’s beer drinkers. Here is a round-up of the Best and Worst Beer Presidents.
The Good
FDR: Nothing to Fear About Beer Itself
Franklin Delano Roosevelt became the 32nd president at the height of the Great Depression in 1933. A key plank of his campaign was repeal of Prohibition, which had failed in practice and turned many law-abiding citizens into criminals. Prohibition not only destroyed the American brewing industry, it had a devastating impact on restaurants, hotels and taverns.
Roosevelt sensed the mood of the country, which had shifted away from temperance and could no longer suffer silently through the loss of jobs and tax revenue. He supported the Democratic Party’s decision to write the repeal of the 18th Amendment into the convention’s platform. On Nov. 8, 1932, FDR trounced incumbent president Herbert Hoover by a margin of 57.4 percent to 39.7 percent. He would be reelected three more times and lead the United States during World War II.
In addition to establishing the Civilian Conservation Corps and gaining approval for the Tennessee Valley Authority during his first 100 days in office, FDR pushed Congress to change and ultimately repeal the Volstead Act, which had ushered in Prohibition. In fact, the return of legal beer was one of Roosevelts’s first accomplishments in one of the most productive administrations in history.
Roosevelt took office on March 4, 1933, and wasted no time in attacking Prohibition. On March 22, 1993, Roosevelt signed the Beer and Wine Revenue Act, which allowed the federal government to collect taxes on alcohol, while giving states the right to regulate the sale of the beer, wine and spirits. The bill effectively ended Prohibition by allowing 3.2 beer (3.2 percent alcohol by weight or 4.0 percent by volume). Roosevelt is quoted as saying “I think now would be a good time for a beer!” after signing the legislation. On Dec. 5, 1933, the 21st Amendment was ratified repealing Prohibition.
Carter: Homebrewing was No Small Peanuts
James Earl Carter Jr. served just a single term as president. Jimmy, as the 39th president was better known, campaigned as an outsider at a time that much of America wanted a change in the way Washington did business. On Nov. 2, 1976, Carter beat incumbent president Gerald Ford by a margin of 50.1 percent to 48 percent.
Carter’s administration was plagued by economic and diplomatic problems. Inflation, unemployment and high interest rates hammered the U.S. economy. On the international scene, President Carter led a boycott by 65 countries of the 1980 Olympic games in Moscow over the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan. There was also the Iranian hostage crisis, with more than 50 Americans being held for 444 days at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran.
Still, with all of this bad news during his administration, Jimmy Carter established the Department of Energy and the Department of Education as cabinet level positions, and he was good for beer drinkers. In 1978, President Carter signed a bill that launched the largest home brewing explosion since the days of Prohibition. The law exempted homebrewed beer produced for personal and family consumption from excise taxes. The law still allowed states to prohibit citizens from making beer, wine, cider and mead, but soon homebrew shops began to open and Americans started discovering just how good fresh, homemade beer could be.
