Today is National Beer Day! It is a day to celebrate the
anniversary of the enactment of the Cullen-Harrison Act. Signed into law by
President Franklin D. Roosevelt on March 22, 1933, the Cullen-Harrison Act
legalized beer containing up to 3.2% alcohol by volume. The act would lead to
the repeal of the 18th Amendment on December 5, 1933 with the
ratification of the 21st Amendment. Beer is one of the oldest
prepared beverages which dates to 9500 BCE by some estimates. It has been
recorded in written histories of ancient Iraq and ancient Egypt. Beer has great
cultural and social importance to many groups in the United States.
National Beer Day was first created by Justin Smith of
Richmond, Virginia and after encouragement from his friend, Mike Connolly,
Smith created a Facebook page. The page was noticed by Colorado Beer Examiner
Eli Shayotovich and later officially recognized by Virginia governor Terry
McAuliffe in 2017. It was first recognized on the Congressional Record of the
115th Congress on April 7, 2017 by Congressman Dave Brat of Virginia
in 2017. The holiday was officially recognized by the Virginia General Assembly
with House Joint Resolution 90 in 2018.
When Prohibition was first being passed, many voted for it
with the understanding that beer and wine would be allowed. When the Volstead
Act greatly lowered the allowed alcohol by volume, it felt a bad taste in their
mouths. Beer had been a part of American life for decades as evidence shows
that even the Native Americans had a form of beer made from corn, birch sap and
water. When the Germans arrived during the Great Migration with their lager
which had a longer shelf life, the sale of beer skyrocketed. It seems fitting
that beer would be the first alcohol allowed as the country moved toward
repealing the 18th Amendment. The Cullen-Harrison Act is named after
its sponsors, Senator Pat Harrison of Mississippi and Representative Thomas H.
Cullen of New York. The act redefined what an intoxicating beverage was under
the Volstead Act. Alcohol of 3.2% was chosen because it was considered too law
to cause intoxication. After signing the act into law, President Roosevelt
famously commented, “I think this would be a good time for a beer.” The states
had to pass their own similar legislation to legalize the sale of low alcohol
beverages.
According to the Beer Institute and National Beer Wholesales
Association, beer was a more than $350 million industry in the United States.
In 2017, Bud Light was the #1 selling beer with 15.4% of the market. However,
many traditional beer sales are on the decline. Why? The answer craft beers. Craft
beers and microbrewers have become insanely popular in the United States.
According to the Brewers Association, to be considered a craft beer, the beer
must be: 1) small with an output of 3% of the market, 2) independent with only
25% of the brewery owned by anyone not identified as a craft brewer, and 3)
traditional which a “majority of its total beverage alcohol by volume in beers
whose flavor derives from traditional or innovative brewing ingredients in
their fermentation.” Craftbeer.com is a great resource about each type of beer
as it can be overwhelming when one views the list of possibilities. From pale
ales to lagers to stouts and specialty beers, there’s a beer for everyone.
In conclusion, National Beer Day is a day to commemorate the
Cullen-Harrison Act being enacted and the beginning of the end of Prohibition.
First started in Virginia, the day has started to gain a following as craft
beers and microbreweries have become increasingly popular. Beer has become more
than just the familiar names and the flavors have expanded to a variety of flavors
such as pumpkin. For those who love beer, lift of your glass to celebrate National
Beer Day. Cheers!
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