Here's a story from last weekend that got lost in the recent excitement: Happy days are here again for microbreweries.
Production of craft beer - those specialty brews typically made in small regional or local breweries - grew by 9 percent last year, the biggest jump since 1996, when the microbrewery fad of the '90s was still going full tilt. Mainstream beer sales, meanwhile, fell slightly.
By the way, also in that Saint Arnold newsletter, yesterday was the 73rd anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition. If you didn't celebrate that momentous occasion with a non-wimpy downstream beer, you have the rest of the weekend to make up for it. Salut!
Posted by Charles Kuffner on April 08, 2006 to Food, glorious food | TrackBackI have a St. Arnold Amber Ale right next to me as I type this.
Posted by: Bobby Warren on April 8, 2006 4:03 PMProhibition-signed into law back when Democrats were the conservative ones...
oh how things have changed in 63 years
Posted by: Right of Texas on April 9, 2006 1:01 AMI meant 73 years.
Posted by: Right of Texas on April 9, 2006 1:02 AMProhibition-signed into law back when Democrats were the conservative ones...
Yeah, that was a juxtaposition from today in many ways.
But as I recall, it was in 1933, with FDR newly installed in the White House, who really set the ball in motion to repeal Prohibition. One of the planks in his platform in the 1932 election was to effectively declare war on Prohibition.
In the first few days of his presidency, he pushed for Congress to redefine "intoxicating beverage" to exclude 3.2% beer. Less than a month later, beer (albeit weaker) was flowing again.
Just two weeks before FDR took office, Congress sent the proposal for repealing the 18th Amendment to the states, and it became effective in December 1933.