A pint of Old Bend American Lager at Immersion Brewing in Bend.

Thursday is National Beer Day, celebrating the beginning of the end of Prohibition in the United States, which lasted nationally from 1920 to 1933. On March 22, 1933, President Roosevelt signed the Cullen-Harrison Act into law, which legalized the manufacture and sale of beer with 3.2% alcohol by weight (4% by volume).

Upon signing it, Roosevelt famously said, “I think this would be a good time for a beer.”

On April 7, 1933, the day the law went into effect, The Bulletin reported that only five kegs of beer were shipped to Bend (one of those was sent to Prineville) and those ran out within two hours of being tapped.

The Prohibition era alcohol ban was marked by bootlegging and smuggling, violent crime, corruption in law enforcement, and ineffectual overall enforcement. It also decimated the brewing industry. Only the largest breweries survived — such as Anheuser-Busch, Miller, Pabst and Weinhard’s — by diversifying into product lines including sodas, near beer, malt syrups, and even ice cream.

Prohibition also served as a dividing line between brewing eras in terms of style. Before, most beer produced in the U.S. was pale lager, though there were breweries producing other styles including porter, bock, and others. Though it took 50 years after Prohibition ended, today over 9,000 breweries are producing over 100 different styles.

While modern beers are a far cry from the ones you’d have tasted prior to 1920, there are still styles whose DNA can be traced directly back to pre-Prohibition influences, such as American pale lagers and cream ales.

One notable characteristic of many pre-Prohibition lagers was the use of rice or corn as well as malt. Despite popular belief, this wasn’t done as a cost-cutting measure; rather, American malts at the time were unable to produce beers with lightness and clarity matching their European counterparts.

The addition of these adjuncts helped to lighten and dry out the finished beer.

Modern malts no longer have this problem, though it’s not uncommon for craft brewers today to brew with corn or rice when re-creating these earlier styles.

While any beer style is appropriate to raise a toast to National Beer Day, it can be fun to explore ones influenced by pre-Prohibition brewing to get a sense of what they might have been like over a century ago. Here are a few to consider.

Immersion Brewing Company, Old Bend American Lager

While American lagers are often brewed with adjuncts as described above, Immersion makes no mention of them, describing the beer as “dry, slightly fruity, clean, and crisp.” 4.5% ABV and 11 IBUs.

Kobold Brewing Company, K-Lite American Lager

Kobold brewed this classic light lager with pilsner malt and rice, which lightens the body and offers up a dry finish. The malts are balanced with Cascade and Sterling hops for a hint of citrus. 4.3% ABV and 8 IBUs.

Three Creeks Brewing Company, Tres Arroyos Mexican Lager

Though the brewery bills this as a Mexican lager, Tres Arroyos is brewed with pilsner malt and flaked corn resembling a classic pre-Prohibition recipe. The Saaz hops round it out with a light spice. 4.5% ABV and 15 IBUs.

Wild Ride Brewing Company, Cold Chillin’ Vanilla Cream Ale

Vanilla was not a common ingredient used in early American brewing (if it was used at all), but Wild Ride starts with a classic cream ale recipe. The addition of the vanilla offers a subtle sweetness and smooths any edges. 4.8% ABV and 20 IBUs.

Crux Fermentation Project, Prowell Springs Pre-Prohibition Lager

Though not currently available, this occasional lager is brewed with a blend of corn, six-row barley, and two-row barley for a reasonably authentic approximation of what these beers were like prior to Prohibition. 5.5% ABV and 34 IBUs.

Whatever style you prefer, National Beer Day is a great time to celebrate the variety and choice in American beer. Cheers!

Top 5 beers of the week

Godric’s Hollow IPA — Bend Brewing & Funky Fauna Artisan Ales

Shepplekofeggan — Monkless Belgian Ales

Pelican Pilsner — Pelican Brewing

Cosmic Chill Cold IPA — Silver Moon Brewing

Io Doppelbock — Ecliptic Brewing