Well, I’m still waiting on spring (it’s supposed to snow again tomorrow) and it’s been a while since we talked about holidays, so that’s the subject for today. Tomorrow (April 7) is National Beer Day. While most any day is a good day for a beer, this is the real deal. In 1919, something called the Volstead Act became law and by January 16th, 1920 the entire United States was subject to Prohibition. This meant that the sale, production, importation, and transportation of all alcohol was banned in the USA.
After 13 years of prohibition, Senator Pat Harrison and Representative Thomas Cullen proposed the Cullen-Harrison Act, which legalized the sale of beer and wine with a low enough alcohol content that people supposedly would not get intoxicated (3.2% by weight, 4.05% by volume.) The act was signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on March 22, 1933. (FDR apparently said, after signing the bill, “I think this would be a good time for a beer.”)
The first legally bought beer went on sale on April 7th in 1933. There were about 1.5 million barrels of beer consumed in America on that day.
Some real beer enthusiasts begin to celebrate National Beer Day today (the evening of April 6th) – known as New Beer’s Eve.
So it became legal to buy beer in 1933, but it took 76 years for the day to be marked by a holiday. It wasn’t until 2009 that April 7th became “National Beer Day.” They say every dog has their day — so does every beer, and that day’s tomorrow. Cheers!!!
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