But before you go thinking this is just some arbitrarily-appointed holiday, you should know there’s some serious historical background to the day.
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The 18th Amendment, known to many of us beer drinkers as a dark time in American history, effectively established the prohibition of alcoholic beverages nationwide in 1919. The Volstead Act, commonly known as the National Prohibition Act, granted both state and federal governments power to enforce the ban.
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By 1933 most Americans were more concerned with The Great Depression than they were with who was drinking what. Authorities were also finding it nearly impossible to enforce the anti-alcohol legislation. President Franklin D. Roosevelt sent a note to Congress asking for a bill to amend the Volstead Act and allow for the sale of low-alcohol beer (3.2 percent or less). A bill, sponsored by New York Representative Thomas H. Cullen and Mississippi Senator Pat Harrison, passed and was signed by Roosevelt the next day. The law went into effect April 7 of that year.
Afterwards, the president infamously quipped, “I think this would be a good time for a beer.”
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Prohibition would be repealed by the 21st Amendment nine months later, effectively opening the floodgates of boozy goodness for all.
In celebration of this great day, here are fourplaces in the Dayton area that are in the National Beer Day spirit. Did we miss your special deal for National Beer Day? Please email jim.ingram@coxinc.com.
BAR LOUIE
4492 Glengarry Dr., Beavercreek
Subscribers to the Bar Louie email list are sent a unique scan code to receive one 14-ounce draft beer for $1.50. There is a limit of one beer per customer. Sign up for the email here.
THE PUB
39 Greene Blvd., Beavercreek
HAIRLESS HARE BREWERY
738 W. National Rd., Vandalia
The brewery will celebrate this year's release of their Maple Brown Ale, made with maple syrup from Dayton's Aullwood Farm. For every pint sold, Hairless Hare will donate $1 to Aullwood.
They will also be featuring Stone Brewing's Go To, a pineapple session IPA.
PRIMANTI BROS.
2430 N. Fairfield Rd., Beavercreek
The champion sandwich crafters and appetite killers also feature some eclectic beers, such as Victory Brewing's Summer Love on National Beer Day. The golden ale is 5.2 percent ABV and offers a citrus and hoppy mixture to the drinker's palate.
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