National Beer Day and Alcohol Safety

April the 7th is National Beer Day, which commemorates April 7, 1933, the day that the Cullen-Harrison Act was enacted. It was signed into law by President Franklin Roosevelt on March 22, 1933. The law allowed for the legal sale of low-alcohol beer in the United States, several months before Prohibition was completely repealed.

 

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Roosevelt made his famous remark upon signing the legislation: “I think this would be a good time for a beer,” noting the end to the nation’s 13-year-long dry spell. The low-alcohol beer that the act allowed could have alcohol by volume of as high as 4 percent.

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National Beer Day Established on Facebook

National Beer Day was first created in 2009 by Justin Smith of Richmond, VA.  Smith started a Facebook page that was noticed by Colorado Beer Examiner, Eli Shayotovich. Smith’s promoting of the new holiday via various social media outlets was rewarded when the beer drinking app, “Untappd”, created a badge for National Beer Day that rewarded participants that checked a beer into the app on April 7.

National Beer Day has since been trending every year on April 7 using the hashtag #NationalBeerDay.

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Alcohol Server Responsibilities

An alcohol server has a responsibility to make sure that the customers are enjoying alcohol in moderation. This is not only for the atmosphere of the establishment, but for the safety of both the customer and others once they leave your establishment.

  • Training. Proper training of employees can help an establishment proactively avoid a lot of alcohol-related issues that could potentially occur.
  • Policies. Having specific policies that are to be followed when it comes to alcohol can help your employees solve potential problems.
  • Check IDs. It is of the utmost importance that alcohol servers check the IDs of customers ordering alcohol.
  • Cutting off Customers. It’s important that bartenders and servers are observant and know when to say “when” to customers.
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Alcohol can be a great way to increase an establishment’s sales, but serving it comes with a great deal of responsibility. Be sure to follow proper responsible alcohol service procedures to ensure that customers and employees remain safe.