Homebrewers group turns 30

Thirty years ago Sunday, Denver brewing enthusiast Charlie Papazian (right) founded the American Homebrewers Association.

In thinking back over three decades, Papazian, writing in Examiner.com / New York, says:

"I can remember that day on December 7, 1978. I went to pick up 2,000 of our newly published Zymurgy magazine. I loaded my 1969 Toyota Corona. It was snowing with one foot of snow already on the ground and still coming down. With my co-founder friend Charlie Matzen we rose to the challenges then and for many years thereafter.

"Several homebrewing volunteers showed up at the house. We hand labeled and organized our first mailing of AHA's Volume 1, Number 1 issue of Zymurgy. There was a core group of about 800 homebrewers in the Boulder/Denver, Colorado, area. The rest we were mailing to homebrew shops around the country. The names and addresses of the shops were gleaned from finger leafing through city yellow page directories in the local library one volume at a time. ...

"It makes me thirsty just thinking how labor intensive things were back in those days. The good genie had been released. Zymurgy continues to be published and the American Homebrewers Association champions, promotes and protects the interests of homebrewers and homebrewing."

[Go here for the rest of his commentary.]

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