6th to 7th April marks one of America’s most frothy, and historically fascinating annual celebrations.
Every year on the evening of 6th April, something quietly momentous happens across America. Beer lovers gather at bars, breweries, and backyards to mark New Beer’s Eve, the night before National Beer Day on 7th April. It might sound like a made-up excuse for a drink (and it is partly that), but the occasion is rooted in one of the most dramatic chapters in American history: the end of Prohibition.
The Night That Changed Everything
National Beer Day is celebrated every year on 7th April, marking the day that the Cullen–Harrison Act came into force, after having been signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on 22nd March 1933. On 6th April, the night before, is known as New Beer’s Eve.
To understand why this matters, you have to go back to 1920. The 18th Amendment to the United States Constitution ushered in the era of Prohibition. For nearly 14 years, the production, distribution, and sale of alcoholic beverages were illegal. Beer, wine, spirits, all of it was banned. Breweries shuttered, bartenders found new trades, and an entire culture went underground.
The turning point came when Roosevelt, newly elected and facing a nation battered by the Great Depression, signed the Cullen-Harrison Act. Upon putting pen to paper, he reportedly quipped, “I think this would be a good time for a beer.” It’s one of the great understatements in presidential history.*
Midnight Queues and 1.5 Million Barrels
The scenes on the evening of 6th April 1933 were extraordinary. Millions of Americans lined up waiting for the stroke of midnight so that they could once again legally hoist a pint or two. People camped outside breweries, huddled in the April chill, counting down the hours.
When the clock struck midnight and 7th April arrived, the celebrations were immense. An estimated 1.5 million barrels of beer were consumed, with an estimated $5 million of beer being sold in Chicago alone. Hundreds of breweries, bars, and taverns could reopen and expand again, hiring workers and buying new equipment, while restaurants could sell alcohol again.
The economic ripple effect was staggering. In the four months that followed, manufacturing grew by 78%, automobile and heavy equipment sales by almost 200%, the stock market by 71%, and approximately four million people found employment. All because beer was back.
It’s worth noting that the Cullen-Harrison Act wasn’t the full end of Prohibition, which came later. The 18th Amendment was fully repealed on 5th December 1933, with the ratification of the 21st Amendment. The Cullen-Harrison Act played a crucial role by amending the Volstead Act’s strict definitions, allowing beer with up to 3.2% alcohol by weight, enough to make the country very happy indeed.
How a Facebook Page Became a Holiday
Fast-forward to 2009. National Beer Day was established by Justin Smith of Richmond, Virginia, inspired by his friend Mike Connolly. Smith promoted the holiday through a Facebook page, gaining attention from Colorado Beer Examiner Eli Shayotovich. The holiday’s popularity grew when Untappd, a beer-tracking app, introduced a National Beer Day badge, rewarding users who logged a beer on 7th April.
From that humble Facebook page, the day grew into a genuine cultural institution. It even earned a moment of mainstream recognition; it was eventually featured as a clue on Jeopardy.
What New Beer’s Eve Means Today
New Beer’s Eve and National Beer Day are now a celebration of far more than that single legislative moment in 1933. They’re a toast to the entire arc of American beer culture, from the colonial taverns that doubled as town halls, to the industrial lager boom of the 19th century, to the Prohibition years, and into the craft beer renaissance that has transformed the landscape.
Today, there are more than 9,500 breweries across the country producing a wide variety of innovative beers. The diversity of what’s on tap in 2026, hazy IPAs, barrel-aged stouts, sour ales, and session lagers, would have seemed almost fantastical to those Americans queuing up outside breweries at midnight in 1933.
How to Celebrate
The beauty of New Beer’s Eve and National Beer Day is their simplicity. Americans mark 7th April by visiting breweries, enjoying craft beers, and toasting to freedom and community. Whether you seek out a local taproom, crack open something new from a bottle shop, or simply raise a glass at home, the spirit is the same.
Ninety-three years after those first jubilant queues outside the brewery doors, the tradition continues. Some holidays mark solemnity. This one marks something simpler and perhaps more universal: the pleasure of good company, a cold pint, and a reminder that even the driest of eras eventually end.
Cheers.
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