Saturday night is the 75th Annual New Beers Eve, a celebration of the repeal of prohibition when beer drinkers made the switch from low-alcohol content "near beer" to higher alcohol content beverages. When you're raising your glasses, it's FDR you should be toasting.
The days of Prohibition may be 80 years gone, but on April 6 beer drinkers everywhere raise their glasses as if the stuff inside it were just about to be legalized. New Beers Eve celebrates the end of Prohibition, a 14-year period of American history marked by speakeasies, alcohol smugglers, and all around contraband of booze.
For all of you history buffs out there, a little background on this beer drinkers’ holiday: When FDR was running for president, one of his promises was to pass the Cullen-Harrison Act–a repeal of the Volstead Act–which allowed the sale of low-alcohol wine and beer. FDR came through on his promise in early 1933 and on April 7 at 12:01 a.m., wine drinkers and beer lovers alike raised toasts of booze with 3.2% alcohol content instead of the previous 0.5%.
Cullen-Harrison was just the pre-cursor, of course. The 21st Amendment was ratified in Decemeber 1933 and full-strength beer and alcohol once again flowed freely.
So here’s to you, Mr. President. Cheers.