Happy Anniversary Alcohol: Celebrate Prohibition Being Repealed

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replying the story in its archived form does not constitute a re-publiccation of the story.

We love you Utah! 75 years ago today, following President Roosevelt's executive order to change prohibition laws to allow 3.2% alcohol that snowballed to a complete repeal, Utah was the 36th and final state to ratify the 21st amendment. The vote officially ended a 14 year span during which we were officially a dry country. Just think how bad is sucked to go to college on a dry campus and multiply that by one-hundred million and you get the idea. Prohibition had a major impact on St. Louis's, one of the country's beer capitals - your fellow citizens and countrymen thank you, Utah.

Prior to the start of prohibition St. Louis was home to more than 22 breweries and after the repeal only nine of our city's fine beer palaces reopened. One of the brewing legends that was a victim of prohibition was the Lemp Brewing company - one of (if not the) first brewers of lager beer in the United States. Before the dark, dry time Lemp was at the top of the brewing game, but the Lemp family was plagued by tragedy and as a result they were unable to regain their prominence after the repeal. After the repeal beer king Anheuser-Bush rose to the exalted position among brewers, where it remains today despite crappy logos and buyouts.

The time of gangsters, the speakeasy, and flappers during prohibition still captures the imagination of the country through movies and books, and the glamorization (and what some would claim the root of the present day power) of the mafia is rooted in this drink-free period. Besides the ability to legally enjoy a cold, sudsy glass, the city's beer broncos - the Budweiser Clydesdales - became a St. Louis icon 75 years ago when they were unveiled in celebration of the repeal.

We salute you Utah, Roosevelt, and beer - and while we are at it, let's forget about Belgium for a minute and toast St. Louis's rich brewing history.