Seventy-Five Years Ago: Hey, Bub, Watch Where Yer Goin'!

Counting Down to April 7, the Anniversary of the Return of Legal Beer

On March, 30, 1933, the New Jersey Commissioner of Motor Vehicles issued a warning to motorists in his state. Enjoy the legal beer that's coming, he said, but watch the wheel while you're at it. "Theoretically, 3.2 beer is non-intoxicating," he explained. (*1)

"It is conceivable, however, that an excess of consumption of it by certain individuals might result in an adverse effect upon the mental alertness and skill with which they operate their automobiles."

For which I hereby award him a posthumous prize for Most Convoluted Use of the English Language By A Minor Bureaucrat While Issuing a Useless Press Release.

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*1: See my blog entry for March 22 for a brief explanation of the "non-intoxicating" point. Source: "Warns Beer-Drinking Drivers Not to Endanger Other Traffic," New York Times, March 31, 1933, p. 2.

Seventy-Five Years Ago: Planning Your Own Celebration

Counting Down to April 7, the Anniversary of the Return of Legal Beer

Beer Day is coming up fast -- time to plan your own celebration. One way to do that is by visiting the Brewers Association web site. (The BA is the industry trade group for small and craft brewers.) There you'll find a page devoted to the anniversary. The page includes a press release discussing the event and significant dates in beer history.

But the most important feature is the "select a state" menu. Click on it to find the location, date, and time of anniversary events near you. As always, a tip o' the mug to the wonderful folks at the Brewers Association.

Seventy-Five Years Ago: Beer = Money

Counting Down to April 7, the Anniversary of the Return of Legal Beer

People who supported Prohibition (the "drys") had lobbied against the return of beer by accusing the "wets" of over-estimating the economic impact of legal beer. The wets enjoyed the last laugh -- and did so all the way to the bank: By March 28, the brewers in just one city, Milwaukee, had processed $4 million dollars in orders. (That's about $62 milllion in 2006 dollars.) And they'd already paid more than $50,000 in federal taxes ($777,0000 in 2006 dollars).

Seventy-Five Years Ago: Fill 'Er Up!

Counting Down to April 7, the Anniversary of the Return of Legal Beer

It was really happening! On March 26th and 27th, 1933, breweries in Milwaukee began bottling beer. The folks at Blatz cranked up the bottling line on the evening of the 26th, running a shift through the night to get the work finished. Pabst flipped the switch on its line at noon on the 27th.

It's hard to imagine what roused the most interest: the newspaper report about all those bottles of beer -- or the photograph that accompanied the article. It showed several men tending the bottling equipment at Blatz. Men working. Collecting paychecks. Earning money to buy food and clothes for their families. In the end, that's probably what mattered most to Americans during that grim spring of 1933, when a third of adults were out of work.

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Source: "Bottled Beer Awaits Signal," Milwaukee Sentinel, March 27, 1933, p. 9.

About That Bock Beer Article

In a previous blog entry, I included a link to an article about bock beer from the March 26. 1933 New York Times. But according to An Astute Reader (and I love the Astute Readers), it's only free if you subscribe to the newspaper (the paper version) or the online "Reader's Service."

So apparently I subscribe to the "Reader's Service" -- which, frankly, I had forgotten. (What can I say? I'm over forty. My memory is not my strong point.) Anyway, apologies for unintentionally misleading all of you. It's a terrific article and if I could do so legally, I'd just cut-and-paste the whole thing as a blog entry.

But of course I can't do that. It's the property of the New York Times. So if you're dessssssssssperate to read it, you have two options.

One, spend $4.00 to buy an online copy. (Again, I'd happily do that for all of you, but I still wouldn't be able to copy here.) Two, find a library that subscribes to the ProQuest electronic version of the Times Archives, or owns the microfilm version of the newspaper. Any university library will have them, as will any big city library. Finally, the Times archive IS free back to 1981.

Seventy-Five Years Ago: Bock Beer and No Beer

Counting Down to April 7, the Anniversary of the Return of Legal Beer

News about beer and beermaking filled the nation's newspapers in late March, as Americans geared up for Beer Day.

Beermakers in New York City, for example, warned that they'd have to ration their supplies. "We are booked already above our capacity," Henry Piel told a newspaper reporter. "It is quite possible that there may be a shortage of beer at first . . . ." He explained that the brewery would supply its long-standing customers first. Everyone else would have to get in line.

Some of the Milwaukee breweries announced they'd be selling their beer in new metal barrels. Their engineers had been working on the new container for years; now they planned to start using it. (The beer can wouldn't show up for another two years.)

Finally, on this day in 1933, the New York Times ran a long article on the traditions and lore surrounding bock beer. If you're into beer history, it's worth reading.

CORRECTION TO ORIGINAL BLOG ENTRY: When I accessed the bock article, it came up as a "free" read, so I assumed it was free to everyone. But apparently you can only access the article if you have subscribe to the print version of the paper or the online Reader's Service. See a longer blog entry here for more details. Thanks and tip 'o the mug to Jeff for pointing this out.

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Source for Piel quote: "City Beer Shortage Feared By Brewers," New York Times, March 26, 1933, p. 1.