Observed on the first Saturday in May, National Homebrew Day is a holiday that recognizes and celebrates the act of making beer at home. This holiday is observed not only across the United States but also around the world. In the U.S. alone, over a million people are brewing their own beer, and every year homebrewing increases in popularity. There’s no better time for a person to gather their brewing equipment and make some beer.

The History Of National Homebrew Day

National Homebrew Day was officially established by the American Homebrewers Association in 2003, although it had been presented to the U.S. Congress back in 1988. It’s a holiday that continues to be celebrated every year to bring homebrewers together and to inform people of how easy it is to brew beer at home.

A Short History Of Beer Brewing

Mankind has been brewing beer since at least 6,000 B.C. This is when the ancient Babylonians and Egyptians cultivated barley for beer. This process was most likely an accident and probably resulted from barley loaves fermenting after being left out in the rain. Once these cultures discovered beer, they made it in a variety of different forms, including beers brewed with added honey or dates.

It was the Danes and the Saxons who brought beer to Great Britain, and many monasteries in Europe would brew beer. These monasteries would usually reserve one-third of the beer to sell to support themselves, kept one-third for themselves, and gave one-third of the beer to the poor.

Beer brewing continued to grow over the next few hundred years with a few minor bumps along the way. One of the bumps that put a damper on beer production was Prohibition in the United States during the 1920s. Fortunately, that ended in the winter of 1933.

Facts About Homebrewing

As we researched this holiday, we found some very interesting facts about not only this holiday but also the art of homebrewing. We’ve decided to share some of this information below. Hopefully, the following facts and history will not only entertain but also inspire people to try homebrewing at home—if it’s legal in their area.

• Homebrewing wasn’t officially legal in the U.S. until H.R. 1337 became law on October 14, 1978.
• In Alabama and Mississippi, homebrewing didn’t become legal until 2013. It was March of that year for Mississippi and May for Alabama.
• More than 1.2 million Americans brew beer at home.
• Due to COVID-19, the Homebrewers Association had a virtual “Big Brew” event on May 2, 2020.

Observing National Homebrew Day

Observing this holiday is as easy as beginning your journey toward making your own homebrew. The first step is to visit the Homebrewers Association to not only learn how to make beer but also to learn about ingredients and connect with other homebrewers. While celebrating this holiday, be sure to use the hashtag #NationalHomebrewDay to encourage everyone to take part and brew beer at home.