This week I’m writing a “random notes and thoughts” sort of column, and as I was assembling it, I noticed a political theme emerging.
This is a beer column, of course, and I largely avoid anything overtly political, but this week, there are several marginally political elements – although nothing that’s rabidly partisan or that should rile anyone up too much.
The first item is simply a shout-out to former President Jimmy Carter, who celebrated his 99th birthday this past Sunday. I do this in honor of Carter’s role in starting the whole craft brewing movement here in the U.S. In 1978, Carter legalized homebrewing, which had been heavily restricted since the time of Prohibition.
After some California lawmakers filed the legislation, Carter’s signature removed the block on homebrewing, allowing amateur brewers to make up to 100 gallons per person per year, or 200 gallons per household. The trickle-down effect that this had on craft brewing cannot be overstated.
So happy birthday, Jimmy!
Next up is another celebration – one to applaud Congress for getting its act together in time to avoid a government shutdown. While this was crucial for many reasons unrelated to beer, here in this column we are glad that the Treasury Department will be able to continue its role in approving all new beer labels and beer exports, which would have been paused if a shutdown happened.
We’re on a roll here, so here is one more beer-related note that isn’t really political, but whose topic somehow has become a political football: climate change.
A recent story on CBS in the San Francisco Bay Area affiliate noted that the ongoing climate crisis could disrupt the world’s beer supply by as much as 16%.
As the earth gets warmer, the availability of barley, water, and hops all could be diminished, and the ingredients that do get produced might be altered in ways that affect beer.
For example, the story quotes University of California professor Glen Patrick Fox, who holds the Anheuser-Busch Endowed Professorship in Malting and Brewing Sciences. Fox noted that excess heat can alter the size and shape of barley grains, which in turn could mean that the grain takes longer to turn starch into sugar, which is then converted into alcohol by the yeast.
You would think all the other problems that climate change is causing would make us serious about solving it. Maybe when it starts disrupting our pleasures like drinking beer will prod us to take action. A potential 16% drop in the production of beer should get beer lovers everywhere hot under the collar.
