National Beer Day: Support Your Local Brewery

BIRMINGHAM, AL — National Beer Day, celebrated every year on April 7, is Wednesday. Breweries in the Birmingham area could be good places to mark the day, which highlights one of the country’s most popular drinks.

Breweries open in the Birmingham area for either in-person consumption and pickup include:

• Avondale Brewery, 201 41st Street South, Birmingham (opens at 12 p.m.)
• Back Forty Beer Co., 3201 1st Ave. North, Birmingham (opens at 11 a.m.)
• Birmingham District Brewing Co., 2201 2nd Ave. South, Birmingham (opens at 12 p.m.)
• Cahaba Brewery, 4500 5th Ave. South, Birmingham (opens at 3 p.m.)
• Ferus Artisan Ales, 101 Beech St., Trussville (opens at 11 a.m.)
• Ghost Train Brewery, 2616 3rd Ave. South, Birmingham (opens at 12 p.m.)
• Good People Brewery, 114 14th Street South, Birmingham (opens at 12 p.m.)
• Oak Mountain Brewing Co., 110 Cahaba Valley Rd, Pelham (opens at 4 p.m.)
• Oversoul Brewing, 4161 Helena Rd, Helena (opens at 5 p.m.)
• Siluria Brewing Co., 145 1st Ave. West, Alabaster (opens at 4 p.m.)
• Slag Heap Brewing Co., 227 Main St., Trussville (opens at 4 p.m.)
• Trim Tab Brewery, 2721 5th Ave. South, Birmingham (opens at 12 p.m.)
• True Story Brewery, 5510 Crestwood Blvd., Birmingham (opens at 11 a.m.)

National Beer Day marks the anniversary of congressional passage in 1933 of the Cullen-Harrison Act, which eased Prohibition-era restrictions and permitted the manufacture of low-alcohol beer and wines. Nine months later, on Dec. 5, 1933, the 21st Amendment repealed Prohibition altogether.

In recent decades, craft beer has become the more popular choice for Americans. Craft breweries in the United States date back to the late 1970s, the first opening shortly after President Jimmy Carter signed legislation that made home-brewing legal in 1978.

Now, craft breweries are opening in communities across America. Small and independent brewing companies accounted for 40 of the top 50 top producing craft brewing companies in 2020 based on beer sales volume, according to the Brewers Association.

The year, forever linked with the start of the coronavirus pandemic, brought about a drastic change in where Americans purchase alcohol, Bart Watson, economist for the Brewers Association, said in a statement.

“Breweries who had established packaging and distribution capacity were best positioned to take advantage of the boom in off-premise sales and weather market uncertainty,” Watson said.