April 7th is National Beer Day.  A little history:

In 1933 during the prohibition era, the Cullen-Harrison Act was signed into law by President Franklin Roosevelt on March 23rd. That law was enacted on April 7th allowing the brewing and sale of beer in the United States again as long as it was <  4% ABV.

It’s said that people waited in line overnight on April 6th outside breweries in order to legally buy beer for the first time in over 13 years. Therefore April 7th will be known as National Beer Day and April 6th will be called New Beers Eve.

On the night of April 6, 1933, more than 25,000 people ,
representing the hopes and dreams of American workers, long since home from the war and demoralized by the Great Depression, gathered with eager hearts and tin cups in hand to once again sip the bittersweet nectar of Budweiser,a sensation unknown to them for 14 years.

As the clock atop the brew house showed one minute past midnight on April 7, 1933, sirens and steam whistles sounded, the large wooden doors of the brewery’s Bevo bottling plant opened to the cheers of the thirsty, and 55 trucks laden with America’s favorite brew rolled out into the night,delivering the first cases of post-Prohibition Budweiser to the masses.

Luckily for us today, there is more than just Budweiser to choose from.  It’s taken 78 years for the craft beer industry to get where it is today, and we still have a long way to go.  So pour your favorite microbrew tonight, and raise your pint glass.

From all of us at Midwest Beer, to all of you, happy National Beer Day America!