Wish You Were Beer: Raise A Pint To National Beer Day, Connecticut

NEW HAVEN, CT —After 13 years of prohibition, in late March 1933, then-Pres. Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed into law the Cullen Harrison Act, known colloquially as the Beer Permit Act.

"I think this would be a good time for a beer," Roosevelt said.

Days later, on April 7, a beer truck rolled into Washington, D. C. "emblazoned with a huge sign reading "President Roosevelt, the first real beer is yours!'"

Every April 7th since, it's National Beer Day. And in Connecticut, it's no different. Beer, and especially craft breweries, are celebrated across the state.

Nutmeggers love their beer, but they don't overdo it.

Overall U.S. beer consumption per adult age 21 and over is around 28.2 gallons per person, per year, or an average adult drinks a six-pack a week, per the Beer Institute. The states where beer consumption was highest last year were New Dakota and New Hampshire, where adults, on average, dink around 45 gallons a year. By comparison, Connecticut adults drank far less than the national average: Nutmeggers drank 22 gallons each, the Beer Institute numbers show.

That said, there's still a lot of beer love in the state. In 2022, Connecticut boasts some 125 working breweries from Avon to Woodbury and scores of cities and towns in between.

The New Haven-based Connecticut Brewers Guild was founded in June 2012 to promote the interests of the fledgling craft beer scene in Connecticut. Late last month, the Guild held its sold-out 2022 CT Craft Beer Fest at the Oakdale Theater.

The CT Brewers Guild Beer Trail

The map says it all. There's no shortage of breweries in the state, from small mom & pop-style to large scale and well-established breweries. Find the complete list of active breweries in Connecticut here. And learn more about the Beer Trail and how to participate, here.

Tell us your favorite pub or brewery in the comments below.