National Beer Day: The History Of America’s Favorite Drink
There are some national days in April that are just so stupid. National Ex-Spouse Day? What the hell is that? Why would we want to celebrate someone we didn’t want…
Group of friends drinking and toasting glass of beer at brewery pub restaurant. April 7th is National Beer Day.
Nicolas Micolani via Getty ImagesThere are some national days in April that are just so stupid. National Ex-Spouse Day? What the hell is that? Why would we want to celebrate someone we didn't want to be married to? Beer, on the other hand, is so good, it deserves its own national day. So, from me to you, happy National Beer Day! Side note: this should also be National Designated Drivers Day.
History Of National Beer Day
National Beer Day, according to nationaldaycalendar.com, is celebrated on April 7. And, honestly, we should also be celebrating whatever genius it was that discovered beer in the first place. I’m not sure who invented beer. No one does actually.
However, I believe they deserve the Nobel Prize. Yes, I know, that award is for people who have done the "greatest benefit to humankind", according to nobelprize.org. But I would argue that whoever invented beer did EXACTLY that. Imagine a world without beer. We’d all be super sweet, nice, letting each other merge in traffic and sharing our feelings in healthy ways. Boring.
Besides, there is a Nobel Prize for chemistry. Including for those who make significant discoveries in that field. Need I say more? Although, if there was a prize awarded for discovering beer, we wouldn't know who to give it to.
The history of beer is a long story of trial and error and a ton of luck. And nobody seems to agree on when the first beer was stumbled upon. Rumor has it some ancient dude spotted moist grain making a malty fizzy liquid. And for some reason the dude decided to taste it, and it was delicious. Plus, it made him feel "warm and fuzzy.” Bonus!
There were a lot of evolutions of beer over the years, with different civilizations adding their own ingredients. But the most impactful evolution came when beer truly became "A Cold One.”
In 1854, James Harrison invented and patented a way to make beer cold, according to coldphase.com. Before that, beer was consumed warm like they did in Germany and the UK at the time. By the way, they still do over there. It's so gross. The basics of Harrison's invention is still used today. And not just in how beer was kept chilled then, but also in our daily lives. Like air conditioning and modern refrigerators.
According to highsabatino.com, Native Americans were making “corn beer” way before the pilgrims landed on Plymouth rock. So, beer is widely considered the oldest and most consumed alcohol beverage in history, at least in America.
Celebrating The End Of Prohibition With National Beer Day
There was this little thing called Prohibition that, for a while, interrupted beer's reign at the top. But Americans weren't having that nonsense. Prohibition ended on April 7, 1933, according to brittanica.com. Just 13 incredibly long years after the Cullen-Harrison Act (the 18th Amendment a.k.a Prohibition) was enacted.
So while most National days are just random made up days (April 25th is National Hug a Plumber Day. I’ll probably stay home and hide that day), National Beer Day actually has history behind it. It was declared a National Day, and honored every year since, on the day Prohibition ended.
So Happy National Beer Day! Raise a toast and celebrate. Just please be responsible and make sure you are also observing national Designated Drivers Day too. Just don't let that dude in the BMW merge.
Oh, and since you're all about the history, here's some pretty cool history on why Las Vegas is called the Atomic City.
Dave & Mahoney’s 7 Best Las Vegas Beer Bars
Happy Birthday to you! You made it another 365 days around the sun on this spinning marble we call Earth. It's time to celebrate the BIG day X-style.
The Dave & Mahoney Morning Show cheers to you! Thank you for being a dedicated listener and following us along our radio journey. You make our days with all of the texts, calls and emails.
So what is the X-style you ask? It's finding all of the best beer places in Vegas and drinking at all of them. What else?
Vegas is filled with beer and it would be a crime if we didn't tell you about it. From breweries to hole-in-the-walls, we wanted to put you onto some of our favorite places to grab a cold brewsky.
Many of these places cater to locals and have great specials weekly. You know how much we love beer so we wanted to give you a gift that keeps on giving. Be responsible and drink up!
Big Dog's Brewing Co.
Address: 4543 N Rancho Dr. Las Vegas, NV 89130
HUDL Brewing Company
Address: 1327 S Main St. Suite 100, Las Vegas, NV 89104
Distill - A Local Bar
Address: 7150 S. Durango Dr. Las Vegas, NV 89113
Born And Raised Las Vegas
Address: 10050 S. Eastern Ave. Henderson, NV 89052
CraftHaus Brewery
Address: 197 E. California St. Unit 130 Las Vegas, NV 89101 or 7350 Eastgate Rd. Unit 110 Henderson, NV 89011
Lovelady Brewing Company
Address: 1550 N Green Valley Pkwy Unit 315 Henderson, NV 89074 or 20 S Water St Henderson, NV 89105
Tenaya Creek Brewery
Address: 831 W Bonanza Rd., Las Vegas, NV 89106
