Rising from the Ashes

After 13 years away, legal beer returned to the United States on April 7, 1933. However, the brewing industry—which consisted of around 1400 breweries prior to Prohibition—had been decimated. The productive capacity of the 133 breweries that were licensed to sell on April 7 was well short of that needed to moisten the nation’s parched throats over the ensuing months. Despite numerous challenges in the depressed economy, the nation’s breweries sprang back to life quickly across 1933. By the summer, more than 400 breweries were operating and by year’s end, the nation hosted more than 600 breweries. This chapter shows how the American brewing industry accomplished its remarkable return through numerous case studies.