It’s hard to imagine the East End without its incredible breweries, but during Prohibition, that was the reality. In 1920, the Eighteenth Amendment forced the brewing industry to shut down nationwide, and for over a decade Americans had to get their intoxicating beverages from illegal speakeasies.

Then, on March 22, 1933, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed the Cullen-Harrison Act, an amendment to the Volstead Act allowing the sale of beer containing 3.2% alcohol by weight and 4% by volume. While this did not end Prohibition outright, it changed the definition of an intoxicating beverage, which at the time was anything containing more than 0.5% alcohol. The Cullen-Harrison Act went into effect on April 7, providing interim relief for beer-loving Americans while they waited for Utah to agree on the repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment, which the state eventually did on December 5 of that year.

On April 6, 1933, now known as New Beer’s Eve, people lined up outside of breweries set to reopen the next day. When the doors opened on April 7, the masses flooded in to celebrate, consuming approximately 1.5 million barrels of beer that first day, which is why this day is now remembered as National Beer Day.

In celebration of this historic legislature and an American appreciation for beer, why not head on over to one of Dan’s 2017 Best of the Best Breweries in the Hamptons and on the North Fork? But don’t do it for us; listen to Roosevelt, who famously exclaimed, “I think this would be a good time for a beer.”

Find more of the East End’s Best of the Best businesses and personalities at DansBOTB.com.

Hamptons

Platinum
Montauk Brewing Company
62 South Erie Avenue, Montauk
631-668-8471, montaukbrewingco.com

Gold
Southampton Publick House
62 Jobs Lane, Southampton
631-283-2800, publick.com

North Fork

Platinum
Riverhead Cider House
2711 Sound Avenue, Calverton
631-591-0217, riverheadcider.com

Gold
Jamesport Farm Brewery
5873 Sound Avenue, Riverhead
844-532-2337, jfbrewery.com

Silver (tie)
Moustache Brewing Co.
400 Hallett Avenue, Riverhead
631-591-3250, moustachebrewing.com

Silver (tie)
Port Jefferson Brewing Company
22 Mill Creek Road, Port Jefferson
877-475-2739, portjeffbrewing.com

Bronze
Eastern Front Brewing Co.
13100 Main Road, Mattituck
631-905-1535, facebook.com/easternfrontbrewing