
National Beer Day is celebrated in the USA every year on April 7, marking the day that the Cullen–Harrison Act was enacted after having been signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on March 22, 1933. This led to the Eighteenth Amendment being repealed on December 5, 1933, with ratification of the Twenty-first Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. April 6, the day prior to National Beer Day, is known as New Beer’s Eve.
Upon signing the legislation, Roosevelt made his famous remark, “I think this would be a good time for a beer.” The law went into effect on April 7 of that year in states that had enacted their own law allowing such sales. The beer could contain up to 3.2% alcohol by weight compared to the 0.5% limit of the Volstead Act, because 3.2% was considered too low to produce intoxication.
People across the country responded by gathering outside breweries, some beginning the night before. On that first day, 1.5 million barrels of beer were consumed, inspiring the future holiday. Today, April 7 is recognized as National Beer Day and April 6 is known as New Beer’s Eve.
The Cullen-Harrison Act was not the official end of prohibition in the US (that happened on December 5, 1933 when the 21st Amendment was ratified). What the Cullen-Harrison Act did do was redefine an “intoxicating beverage” under the Volstead Act. As such, April 7 is a beer specific holiday and should not be confused with Repeal Day celebrated on December 5.
National Beer Day was first created in 2009 by Justin Smith of Richmond, Virginia.[10] After much prodding from his friend, Mike Connolly, Smith started a Facebook page that was noticed by Colorado Beer Examiner, Eli Shayotovich. Smith’s promotion of the new holiday via various social media outlets was rewarded when the beer drinking app, “Untappd”, created a badge for National Beer Day that rewarded participants that checked a beer into the app on April 7. National Beer Day has since been trending every year on April 7 using the hashtag #NationalBeerDay.


Green Beer Day at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, is that wild, can’t-miss college tradition that leaves students at other schools wondering why their campus doesn’t have anything half as legendary. Imagine this: spring semester is humming along, classes are on the schedule for a random Thursday in March (right before spring break kicks in March 23-29, 2026), but by the time the first light hits, half the RedHawks are already lined up outside bars, clutching neon-green pints like it’s the most important sunrise of the year. Welcome to Green Beer Day (GBD) — Miami’s totally unofficial, university hands-off, but straight-up iconic boozy twist on St. Patrick’s Day that turns sleepy Oxford into party central.



A Tradition Born from Empty Kegs and Holiday Cheer




McGuire’s Irish Pub – Pensacola, FL

The Story of Ken Grossman Brewing and Sierra Nevada Stout – The Brewery’s First Beer
In 1978, Grossman, along with Paul Camusi, founded
On November 15, 1980, at 5 a.m., Grossman brewed Sierra Nevada’s first test batch: five barrels (150 gallons) of stout. This choice was deliberate. Grossman and Camusi opted for a stout over their already-tested pale ale recipe because they believed the dark, robust style would mask any imperfections in their fledgling brewery’s process. As Grossman explained, “We thought that making a stronger, dark beer would cover some of our sins. We knew we weren’t going to sell it and we figured we had a pretty good shot at making a drinkable stout right off the bat.” They also enjoyed drinking stouts themselves. The brewing process was a 13-hour labor of love, and after one sip, Grossman knew it was a success, giving them the confidence to move forward.
The B.C. Beer Awards awarded Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s brewing program the “Brewery of the Year” on Saturday in Vancouver, BC.
