America's Most Underrated Beverage Holiday Celebrates Beer

April 7th marks one of the happiest days of the year — National Beer Day! While it's true you may not need much of an excuse to crack open a cold one, we're here to give you the low down on this special day along with a few bizarre brews we dare you to try.

Brewing Up a National Holiday

While some may think that National Beer Day is just another excuse to drink beer, it actually has some deep historic roots. This time, we have President Franklin D. Roosevelt to thank for giving us a reason to celebrate America's favorite beverage.

Technically, the origins of this boozy holiday start with Prohibition. In 1919, the 18th Amendment was enacted, forbidding the sale, production, and transportation of alcohol. It wouldn't be until December 5, 1933, that the 21st Amendment would be ratified, lifting the increasingly unpopular ban on alcohol.

What you may not know is that earlier that year on March 22, FDR signed the Cullen-Harrison Act amending the Volstead Act of 1919 — the act of Congress that paved the way for the 18th Amendment and Prohibition.

Why is this important? Back in 1919, some of the politicians who voted for Prohibition assumed that beer and wine sales wouldn't be banned — just hard liquors; they didn't foresee that determined Prohibitionists would successfully use the Volstead Act to broaden the ban to include lower ABV alcohols too.

Rumor has it that soon after signing the Act FDR said, "I think this would be a good time for a beer." On April 7, the nation celebrated with him, drinking a whopping 1.5 million barrels of beer.

It was a win-win. The Cullen-Harrison Act gave the American people liberty to purchase and consume beer and wine (up to 3.2 percent alcohol by volume), and it also provided a much-needed economic boost to the country during the Great Depression.

And while we don't need much of an excuse to knock back a beer or two, we've got a great one for April 7 — the date the act went into effect. Since 2009, we come together to observe this special moment in our history with National Beer Day. What's more American than that?

Bizarre Brews

These days, almost anyone can try their hand at becoming a brew master. That means the challenge is on to create the most unique, popular beer — so much so, that some breweries have gone to extremes to get their beer on the map.

One of these strange beers is Big Ass Money Stout, made by Evil Twin. This company took a unique twist on beer by adding frozen Hawaiian pizza and Norwegian banknotes to the brewing process. The result is even more unexpected than its special ingredients: a beer that tastes like coffee and has a 20% ABV.

Another peculiar brew comes from Nørrebro Bryghus. They collected 50,000 gallons of pee from Denmark's Roskilde music festival in 2015 in order to fertilize the barley used to create their appropriately named "Pisner" beer.

For something a little more out of this world, Dogfish Head created Celeste Jewel. Their brewers crushed lunar meteorites and steeped them in their brew before serving it up in cozies made from the fabric of astronaut suits.

Think you've heard it all? Just wait, it gets weirder.

Rouge Ales' Beard Beer is quite literally brewed from the yeast grown in its master brewer's beard. Apparently, his special strain of beard yeast gives his creation a pineapple flavor. Yum?

While this selection of beers may seem extreme, it just goes to show that the possibilities are truly endless when it comes to changing what beer the world is drinking. Whether you prefer a Budweiser or a Beard Beer, it's clear there is a brew for everyone.

Do you have an idea for the next best — or strangest — beer? Flavorman can help you make it a reality! Get started by filling out this form or giving us a call at (502) 273-5214.

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