From Congress.gov — RECOGNIZING NATIONAL BEER DAY
On April 7, 1933, the Cullen-Harrison Act, named after the legislation’s sponsors, went into effect and for the first time since 1920 the purchase, sale, and consumption of beer and wine with an alcohol content of 3.2 percent was legal. The act was signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on March 22, 1933.
The official end of prohibition in the U.S. happened on December 5, 1933.
Fast forward 76 years to 2009 when Justin Smith, sparked the idea of celebrating National Beer Day for April 7. National Beer Day has since been trending on social media every year on April 7 using the hashtag #NationalBeerDay.
In March of 2017, Justin’s efforts eventually lead to Governor Terry McAuliffe recognizing National Beer Day in Virginia and was officially recognized in the Congressional Record by Congressman Dave Brat in 2017.
National Beer Day has grown to such prominence that it was recently featured as a clue on Jeopardy.
According to National Beer Sales & Production Data from the Brewers Association:
Overall U.S. beer volume sales were down 2% in 2019, whereas craft brewer sales continued to grow at a rate of 4% by volume, reaching 13.6% of the U.S. beer market by volume. Craft production grew the most for taprooms. Retail dollar sales of craft increased 6%, up to $29.3 billion, and now account for more than 25% of the $116.0 billion U.S. beer market.
Author: Mario Lotmore
