Today Is National Beer Day: Raise a Pint in South Florida With Some Local Flavor

“I think this would be a good time for beer.” - Franklin Roosevelt, March 12, 1933

Those were the words of our 32nd president of these United States on the day he signed into law the Cullen-Harrison Act, which allowed, after 13 long, dry, alcohol-free years, the legal sale of beer up to 3.2 percent alcohol. The act went into effect on this day, April 7, in 1933.

Today is National Beer Day.

It is now, 83 years later, that we raise a pint to this first step toward ending Prohibition, which finally ended eight months later. Indeed, here's to Sen. Pat Harrison and Rep. Thomas H. Cullen. Who says government can't learn from its mistakes?

According to the FDR Presidential Library and Museum: "Roosevelt saw a way to quench the voters’ thirst more quickly" than the long wait toward the repeal of the 18th Amendment.  "He signed into law the Beer-Wine Revenue Act that legalized (and taxed) beverages containing no more than 3.2 percent alcohol — which the authors of the new law carefully defined as 'non-intoxicating.'"

So on this day, why not travel out to your local brewery and commemorate this "Day in Beer"?
Here are a few suggestions to get you on your way:

Civil Society Brewing's Fresh
South Florida is known as the Sixth Borough from the number of New Yorkers who live here, but it might as well be South Vermont with all of the hype Civil Society is getting from its New England-styled IPAs. Try this locally produced turbid IPA full of Columbus, Amarillo, and Citra hops. You don't even need to travel out of state.

Due South Brewing Co. and Devour Brewing Co.'s Straight Outta Boynton
A collaborative brew from two of Boynton Beach's finest, Due South and Devour, this is a white IPA full of citrus, bitterness, and wheat, giving it a nice bit of haze and body. 

Funky Buddha Brewery's More Moro
Another IPA? Yes, and this one from Funky Buddha is brewed with a copious amount of blood oranges, leaving a beer that is citrusy, fruity, and laden with notes of pineapple and tangerine. At 7 percent alcohol by volume, it's over twice the limit that FDR legalized, so it's like your own personal two-for-one.

26 Degree Brewing Co.'s Tri-County Common Lager
This American-styled lager from 26 Degree is exactly what the mass-market beers should taste like, only they can't because this one is brewed fresh in our backyard. Clean and crisp, it's an excellent beer for raising aloft.

Brass Tap/Flagler Village Brewing's Boysen tha Hood
It looks like fruit juice and drinks like it too. This Berliner weisse is brewed with boysenberries and black currants, lending it an incredible depth of color and flavor. Found only on tap at the Brass Tap's Fort Lauderdale location.

Doug Fairall is a craft-beer blogger who focuses on Florida beers. He is a Certified Beer Server and has been a homebrewer since 2009. For beer things in your Twitter feed, follow him @DougFairall and find the latest beer pics on Clean Plate's Instagram.