Here’s to 89 years since Prohibition Ended

Hey Twin Cities, did you know today happens to be Repeal Day? While we celebrate our own Repeal Day on April 7th of every year to mark the day beer sales and consumption became legal, Dec. 5th marks the day the 21st amendment was passed and the official end of prohibition in the U.S.

Way back in about 1932, President Franklin D. Roosevelt ran on the platform calling for the end of prohibition. Due to the economic strain caused by The Great Depression, legalizing the alcoholic beverage industry and bringing with it new jobs and revenue helped him win the Presidental election over his pro-prohibition opponent, President Herbert Hoover. Before FDR even took office, congress immediately began the process of drawing up the 21st amendment.  One of FDR’s first acts was signing the Cullen-Harrison Act on March 22nd which would go into effect on April 7th. This effectively legalized the sale of beer and the consumption of beer and it’s why we celebrate Repeal Day on April 7th here at Summit Brewing.

However, the process of ending the prohibition was still in motion. In order to pass the 21st amendment congress & FDR needed the approval of 36 states out of 48 states to approve ratifying the constitution. Finally with the state of Utah being the final state needed to pass that three-fourths majority needed to ratify the constitution, the 18th amendment was struck from the constitution, and the 21st amendment was passed, bringing an end to the prohibition era. So Minnesota, let’s celebrate Repeal Day and raise a glass to the last 89 years! Cheers!