[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 567 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 567

     Celebrating the 40th anniversary of the American Homebrewers 
                              Association.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 28, 2018

 Mr. Cardin (for himself, Ms. Collins, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Gardner, and Mr. 
 Bennet) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and 
                               agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
     Celebrating the 40th anniversary of the American Homebrewers 
                              Association.

Whereas on October 14, 1978, President Jimmy Carter signed into law Public Law 
        95-458, which legalized homebrewing under Federal law effective February 
        1, 1979;
Whereas on December 7, 1978, the following 2 intrepid individuals founded the 
        American Homebrewers Association in Boulder, Colorado:

    (1) Charlie Papazian, author of the seminal book on homebrewing 
entitled ``The Complete Joy of Homebrewing''; and

    (2) Charlie Matzen;

Whereas the mission of the American Homebrewers Association is to promote the 
        community of homebrewers and empower homebrewers to make the best beer 
        in the world;
Whereas because alcohol is predominately regulated by individual States, the 
        American Homebrewers Association has worked diligently and successfully 
        from the inception of the association until 2013--

    (1) to ensure that homebrewing is a legal activity in each State and 
the District of Columbia; and

    (2) to assist with drafting and advocating for State legislation 
relating to homebrewing across the United States;

Whereas homebrewing added $756,000,000 to the economy of the United States in 
        2017, and created 6,983 full time jobs in the United States in 2017;
Whereas the American Homebrewers Association has more than 45,000 members;
Whereas the American Homebrewers Association represents a vibrant community of 
        1,100,000 homebrewers in the United States who brew 1,400,000 barrels of 
        beer each year;
Whereas that community includes President Barack Obama and would have included 
        Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison;
Whereas the American Homebrewers Association hosts--

    (1) the National Homebrewers Conference, also known as ``Homebrew 
Con'', which--

    G    (A) has as many as 3,000 attendees annually;

    G    (B) has been taking place for 40 years; and

    G    (C) will be held this year in Portland, Oregon, from June 28 
through June 30, and will feature 66 informational sessions, 92 speakers, 
and over 50 homebrew clubs;

    (2) the National Homebrew Competition, the largest beer competition in 
the world, which has been taking place for 40 years and during which 
143,240 brews have been judged;

    (3) ``Big Brew for National Homebrew Day'', which--

    G    (A) is held on the first Saturday of each May to commemorate the 
anniversary of the designation by Congress in 1988 of May 7 as ``National 
Homebrew Day''; and

    G    (B) includes more than 350 events with 7,500 participants brewing 
more than 19,000 gallons of beer across the world;

    (4) ``Learn to Homebrew Day'', which is held the first Saturday of each 
November and was established in 1999 to encourage homebrewers to introduce 
friends and family to homebrewing;

    (5) rallies across the United States that offer homebrewers the chance 
to connect with commercial craft brewers and other beer enthusiasts and 
homebrewers in the area;

    (6) the Great American Beer Festival Pro-Am Competition, which has been 
taking place for 13 years and involves award-winning American Homebrewers 
Association homebrewers teaming up with Brewers Association member brewers; 
and

    (7) the Hill Staff Homebrew Competition, which encourages bipartisan 
participation in celebrating homebrewing and the rich history of 
homebrewing in the United States;

Whereas the American Homebrewers Association publishes a magazine entitled 
        ``Zymurgy'' 6 times a year that is circulated to 53,000 people per 
        issue;
Whereas the American Homebrewers Association provides support to more than--

    (1) 700 local homebrew supply shops in the United States; and

    (2) 1,500 homebrew clubs in the United States and around the world;

Whereas the American Homebrewers Association is a predecessor to, and currently 
        a division of, the Brewers Association, a trade group in the United 
        States that represents and protects small and independent domestic 
        brewers, the craft beers made by those brewers, and the community of 
        brewing enthusiasts in the United States;
Whereas in 1982 the American Homebrewers Association presented the first Great 
        American Beer Festival, which is currently hosted by the Brewers 
        Association and represents the largest collection of United States beer 
        ever served; and
Whereas the American Homebrewers Association and its members have contributed to 
        the rise of the craft brewing industry, which--

    (1) is now larger than the industry has ever been in the history of the 
United States; and

    (2) consists of more than 6,000 small and independent breweries located 
across the United States that are helping to reinvigorate local economies: 
Now, therefore, be it

    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) commends the American Homebrewers Association and joins 
        its members, staff, and other beer enthusiasts in celebrating 
        the 40th anniversary of the American Homebrewers Association;
            (2) congratulates the American Homebrewers Association and 
        its members for leading the renaissance of craft beer in the 
        United States; and
            (3) respectfully requests that the Secretary of the Senate 
        transmit enrolled copies of this resolution to the director of 
        the American Homebrewers Association, the president and chief 
        executive officer of the Brewers Association, and the founder 
        and past president of the Brewers Association.
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