• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Advertise
  • About Craft Brewing Business

Craft Brewing Business

Professional Insight, Unfiltered

Craft Brewing Business Craft Brewing Business
  • News
  • Business & Marketing
  • Packaging & Distribution
  • Equipment & Systems
  • Ingredients & Supplies
  • Webinars & White Papers
  • News
  • Business & Marketing
  • Ingredients & Supplies
  • Packaging & Distribution
  • Equipment
  • Webinars & White Papers
  • COVID-19

10 Fourth of July beer facts from the Beer Institute

June 30, 2016Chris Crowell

Yes, July 4 is just around the corner, which means your CBB team will be crushing some made-in-the-USA craft beers, blowing things up and blasting “Real American” (above) for nearly 24 hours straight. We assume you all will be doing the same. To mark our nation’s 240th birthday, the Beer Institute, a national trade association for the American brewing industry that represents both large and small brewers as well as importers and industry suppliers, sent over its “Top Ten Facts about July 4th and the beer industry.”

“From being the drink of choice when Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence to its place at our picnics and barbecues this holiday weekend, beer is an important part of American history and our economy,” said Jim McGreevy, president and CEO of the Beer Institute. “George Washington ensured revolutionary soldiers had beer as part of their rations, and today beer pours over $250 billion into our nation’s economy. Many Americans will have beer on hand when we gather together as family and friends to celebrate July 4th, and I hope people take time to enjoy the history that goes into every pour of beer and choose to drink responsibly this weekend and throughout the year.”

1. Last year, Americans spent an estimated $1 billion on beer to celebrate Independence Day, and beer will be served to many of the 64 percent of Americans of legal drinking age who are planning to attend a cookout of barbecue this weekend. (CBB comment: And let’s be honest, a couple percentage points of some who are not. We’ve been to some of your family barbecues.)

2. Thomas Jefferson was said to have composed the first draft of the Declaration of Independence over a cold draft at the Indian Queen tavern in Philadelphia.

3.The first colonial brewery was built in 1632 on Brewers Street in New Amsterdam, now New York City. Today, there are over 5,500 licensed breweries in the United States according to the federal government.

4. George Washington was an accomplished brewmaster, and he maintained a private brewery at his home in Mount Vernon.

5. During Colonial Times the American brewing industry was so well established that George Washington, Patrick Henry and other patriots argued for a boycott of English beer imports. In fact, the Boston Tea Party almost became the Boston Beer Party.

6. As Commander of the Continental Army, George Washington proclaimed that every one of his troops would receive a quart of beer with his daily rations.

7. On March 22, 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed legislation allowing people to buy, sell and drink beer containing up to 3.2 percent alcohol by weight (or 4.05 percent by volume) in states that had enacted their own law allowing such sales, effectively putting an end to prohibition for beer. The law went into effect on April 7 of that year, and April 7 is now celebrated as National Beer Day.

8. In 1862 President Lincoln signed legislation to tax beer to help finance the government during the Civil War. Today, federal, state and local governments collect more than $48.5 billion in tax revenue from the beer industry. That includes business taxes, sales taxes, consumption taxes and state and federal excise taxes.

9. Beer still remains important today as roughly 1.75 million Americans have jobs as a result of the American beer industry, and these jobs are contributing nearly $79 billion in wages and benefits each year to the American economy.

10. Last July 4th weekend AAA estimated that about 35.5 million Americans took a trip in a car. We all share the roads, and we all share in the responsibility to keep them safe. The Beer Institute and its member companies urge everyone to drink responsibly this Fourth of July weekend as well as throughout the year.

(CBB urges you to do the same. But kind of winks and nudges you while saying “responsibly.”)

Save the cans hardywood craft brewery recycle
Bill reintroduced to bring transparency to aluminum price reporting
Beer Institute poll says drinking habits unchanged during the pandemic: ‘The perception that people are drinking more is false’
The Beer Institute honors Senator Mark Udall, we fume over Congress
beer american flag
The BEER Act vs. the Small BREW Act: What’s the difference?

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. UKWineMerchant says

    July 4, 2016 at 10:55 am

    RT @hopsandbranding: HAPPY ????: 10 4th of July Beer Facts From the @beerinstitute. #craftbeer #ctbeer https://t.co/ZOMy2zK9ER

    Log in to Reply
  2. BrassWorksBrews says

    July 4, 2016 at 10:21 am

    RT @hopsandbranding: HAPPY ????: 10 4th of July Beer Facts From the @beerinstitute. #craftbeer #ctbeer https://t.co/ZOMy2zK9ER

    Log in to Reply
  3. hopsandbranding says

    July 4, 2016 at 8:51 am

    HAPPY ????: 10 4th of July Beer Facts From the @beerinstitute. #craftbeer #ctbeer https://t.co/ZOMy2zK9ER

    Log in to Reply
  4. KCHopTalk says

    July 1, 2016 at 1:25 pm

    10 Fourth of July beer facts from the Beer Institute https://t.co/zehD5wxEMb

    Log in to Reply
  5. wryan1618 says

    July 1, 2016 at 9:47 am

    10 Fourth of July beer facts from the Beer Institute https://t.co/6gCNLeHH7X via @craftbrewingbiz

    Log in to Reply
  6. HC Kim says

    June 30, 2016 at 9:51 pm

    HC Kim liked this on Facebook.

    Log in to Reply
  7. LVRGLLC says

    June 30, 2016 at 8:19 pm

    #CraftBeer #CraftBrewing #Beer #BeerBiz 10 Fourth of July beer facts from the Beer Institute https://t.co/fy0aPef8Ue

    Log in to Reply
  8. 2pawsbeer says

    June 30, 2016 at 6:11 pm

    RT @CraftBrewingBiz: 10 Fourth of July beer facts from the Beer Institute. https://t.co/3ReReipRUW We add a video of Hogan’s Real American

    Log in to Reply
  9. Jeff Platt says

    June 30, 2016 at 5:36 pm

    Jeff Platt liked this on Facebook.

    Log in to Reply
  10. crsimp01 says

    June 30, 2016 at 5:13 pm

    10 Fourth of July beer facts from the Beer Institute https://t.co/8JbjOVgZBG via @craftbrewingbiz

    Log in to Reply
  11. Beargrylls Sum says

    June 30, 2016 at 5:06 pm

    Beargrylls Sum liked this on Facebook.

    Log in to Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Primary Sidebar

Latest News

  • Anderson Valley Brewing promotes price stability amid Big Beer price hikes: ‘We actually like our customers’
  • Ohio how has 400 craft breweries! Here are some other Buckeye beer stats to know
  • IBA hits milestone – 1 million bbls of buying power – what’s next for the co-op?
  • Plastic can carrier recycling co-op debuts in Chicago

Sign up for our newsletter

unsubscribe from list

Most Popular Today

Recent Features

  • The-IBA-TeamIBA hits milestone – 1 million bbls of buying power – what’s next for the co-op?
    May 19, 2022
  • 2022 beer branding trends part 1: reinvention
    May 17, 2022
  • satisfaction surveysAre brewery employees happy? Depends on the department
    May 16, 2022
  • Male hand closes hatch of brewery tankUnfiltered: Do I need to clean tanks between transfers?
    May 11, 2022
  • Hard seltzers: Achieve high alcohol fermentations in a clean and neutral way with the proper nutrient aids
    May 9, 2022
  • Paxton Products uses air and ionization to rinse and dry beer bottles and cans
    May 9, 2022

Footer

  • Email Newsletter Sign Up
  • About Craft Brewing Business
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise on Craft Brewing Business
  • Media Kit Download
  • Privacy and Terms

© 2022 · CBB Media LLC

Posting....