Beer distributors celebrate 21st Amendment anniversary, distribution system

America’s beer distributors will celebrate the 81st anniversary of the ratification of the 21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which repealed Prohibition and established today’s effective system of state-based alcohol regulation. On Dec. 5, 1933, Prohibition ended in the United States when 36 states (a three-fourths majority of the then 48 states) ratified the 21st Amendment to the Constitution.

A new video (seen below) jointly produced by the National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA) and the Wholesale Beer Association Executives explains the history of America’s state-based regulatory system, the three-tier system and the regulatory, economic and commercial value of independent beer distributors in promoting public safety and access to market for brewers of all sizes.

NBWA President and CEO Craig Purser said, “For more than 80 years, Americans have benefited from a system of state-based alcohol regulation that balances robust competition with local social norms and community desires. Today, consumers of legal drinking age have access to thousands of different brands and styles of beer – from small regional craft brews to large multinational labels and imports from around the world – all delivered through a safe, transparent and accountable system.”

“America’s modern system of alcohol distribution works to protect the public and provide consumers with unparalleled choice and value,” Purser continued. “The one-size-fits-all federal ‘solution’ of Prohibition proved to create more problems than it solved – like the growth in organized crime and an underground black market for alcohol. Contrast that to the 21st Amendment, which recognized that alcohol is a unique product best controlled by individual states and provided a solution that continues to be effective today.”

“America’s 3,300 independent, licensed beer distribution facilities – and the 130,000 men and women working in the industry – are proud to partner with states as part of this time-tested system,” Purser added.

According to the economic impact report, “America’s Beer Distributors: Fueling Jobs, Generating Economic Growth & Delivering Value to Local Communities,” America’s independent beer distributors fuel more than 345,000 direct and indirect jobs, add $54 billion to the nation’s gross domestic product and offer far reaching benefits to brewers, retailers, consumers and government agencies at all levels.

To view the full report, state by state data and to download an infographic of the report’s key findings, please visit www.nbwa.org. Click here to view data on the economic impact of beer distributors on the United States as a whole.