April 7 is a very special date.No, not because it's my birthday (which it really is)... but because 75 years ago this April 7, the Volstead Act was modified by the then newly-elected President, Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Wanting to fulfill his campaign promise of ending Prohibition he got Congress to change the Volstead Act so that 3.2% beer could be sold prior to the ratification of the Twenty-first Amendment. While the repeal of Prohibition didn't occur until December 5th of that year, April 7 marks the date when beer was the only legal libation in the whole of the United States.
On that glorious day - a day that will surely live in immortality - Roosevelt toasted the beginning of the end of Prohibition... with a beer at the White House. Really. During the 24 hours following the legalization of 3.2 beer more than 1.5 million gallons of it poured out across the American landscape. (* All this fantastic historical information was obtained from Beertown.org).
According to the folks at 75 Years of Beer, this April your local brewery will be holding special celebrations, offering special release beers, and basically partying like it's 1933 to honor this magnificent milestone. So join your local beer geeks and raise a toast to the 75th anniversary of legal beer!
And let's not forget the near magical irony of how my own birthday just happens to fall on the exact same day. Irony? Happenstance? Or some "higher calling"? Whatever the case... you know I'll be drinking a few on April 7.
Zivjeli!
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