1. The first National Beer Day started in 2009
Beer is the favorite alcohol of choice for tens of millions of Americans across the country. (iStock)
Over the years, National Beer Day has transformed from a quirky tradition into a viral sensation that adults of all different demographics love to celebrate.
However, the holiday is very new by today’s standards. The first celebration of National Beer Day took place in April 2009, after local Virginia resident Justin Smith started the day to honor the signing of the Cullen-Harrison Act.
The day became a popular trend after Smith and his group of friends started a Facebook group encouraging other people to honor the day by drinking their favorite beer-related beverage while partying.
Beer companies and producers from all around the world now recognize and promote the day to many of their customers. In 2017, the governor of Virginia officially recognized the holiday.
2. FDR inspired National Beer Day
During the prohibition era in the United States, the selling of beer was outlawed, and the passage of the Volstead Act made it so that liquors that contained more than 0.5% of alcohol could not be produced.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Cullen-Harrison act, which raised the alcoholic percentage threshold allowed in American beers. (Getty)
However, in 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into law the Cullen-Harrison Act, which significantly raised the alcohol threshold and led to the legalization of mild beer production.
Mild beers such as Bud Light, Budweiser and other brands have gone to become one of America’s favorite pastime beverages.
3. Americans really love beer
The United States, for decades, has been a leading and innovative environment for beer manufacturers and a great place to live for beer lovers. Americans overwhelmingly favor beer as their favorite form of alcohol.
The lower consumer cost of beer and decent taste has set the beverage apart in the U.S. as a household favorite.
Moreover, the United States has the second-largest beer market in the world and is one of the top beer consumers per capita in the world.
4. You can get a beer at McDonald’s
Many people may think of hamburgers, fries, and Happy Meals when they think of McDonald’s in the United States, but the American-based fast food chain serves customers beer in nearly a dozen other countries, including France, Germany, South Korea and Portugal.
National Beer Day is all about gathering with your friends and loved ones to enjoy a glass of your favorite beer. (iStock)
The first McDonald’s chain restaurant to serve beer was founded in 1971 in Germany.
For the Germans at the time and today, the idea of purchasing beer was not considered a foreign concept since the consumption of beer was and still is extremely popular.
5. Beer is one of the world’s oldest alcoholic drinks
The existence and consumption of beer date back thousands of years and is one of the oldest forms of alcohol in human history.
Scientists have found evidence of beer’s existence in ancient cultures such as Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt, where beer was sometimes used as a currency and were instrumental in trade.