Budweiser and Jim Beam are rallying the industry and the country celebrate the 85th anniversary of Repeal of Prohibition. The Repeal Day activities range from office-wide events to local bar takeovers.
Budweiser will start by inviting employees to end the day early to celebrate, while both brands will encourage employees to toast their right to enjoy America’s two iconic beverages at 5:32 pm – the exact minute Repeal was ratified 85 years ago. The two brands will also host Prohibition-era celebrations across the country.
“Prohibition is not only a part of Budweiser’s longstanding history but America’s too,” said Monica Rustgi, vp-marketing for Budweiser. “Each year, we use Dec. 5 as an opportunity to appreciate the right to drink in America and we’re excited to extend the celebration to drinkers across the country.”
In New York City the iconic Budweiser Clydesdales will march through the streets delivering beer just as they did in Washington, D.C., to deliver the first legal batch of beer post-Prohibition to the White House.
The Budweiser Clydesdales were given to August A. Busch Sr. by his sons to celebrate Repeal and serve as a reminder of the prosperous days the company enjoyed prior to prohibition.
Budweiser will also deploy Out of Home displays across the country, inviting fellow brewers in the industry to join in the Repeal Day celebration, while also calling upon beer drinkers everywhere to wear red bow tie as they enjoy their right to drink on Dec. 5.
Jim Beam, a brand that dates back to 1795 but paused production during Prohibition, will commemorate the holiday with a range of retail programming including speakeasy parties across the country.
“Jim Beam’s been doing things the right way in Kentucky for over 200 years – even during Prohibition, when my great-granddad James B. Beam waited until Repeal to rebuild our distillery and continue producing bourbon,” said Jim Beam’s 7th generation Master Distiller Fred Noe. “We figure the anniversary of Repeal may not be a national holiday, but it’s still grounds to celebrate. And we’re thrilled to raise a glass alongside our friends at Budweiser to honor this historic moment.”