9: Revenge of the Beer Nerds

In 1974, the Maltose Falcons became the first homebrew club in America, making illegal brews behind a wine shop on Ventura Blvd. outside of Los Angeles. Author and Maltose Falcons historian Drew Beechum tells the story this revolutionary club and how in the late 1970s, the scofflaws, hooligans, and beer nerds who comprised their membership hatched a plan to legalize their hobby. The result was the legalization of homebrewing on both a state and national level. We also explore how homebrew clubs have served as the training ground for many of the nation’s commercial breweries, and how the early days of craft beer were a gender balanced combination of military purists and hippies.