You still have time to join The Hound in toasting the 75th anniversary --- July 10, 1933 --- of the day when Illinois officially helped end Prohibition by ratifying the 21st Amendment to the Constitution. Yup, hoist one, or two or more. But do it, as all things, in moderation.
Although the national repeal of Prohibition wasn't finalized until Dec. 5, 1933, the brewing industry always recognizes July 10, 1933 as the day the taps would eventually be opened. According to the Beer Institute, once Prohibition was repealed, more than $25 million in economic activity was generated across the nation, producing more than 50,000 jobs at the height of the Great Depression.
The Institute also points out that the beer industry in Illinois now contributes $6.2 billion to the state economy, supporting 64,783 jobs. Who knows how that will shake out if InBev, the Belgium-based brewing company, takes over the largest U.S. brewer, Budweiser.
Anyway, you have until midnight to sip a few beers and toast the end of one of the nation's worst social experiments. Cheers!
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