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It might be a Tuesday, but April 7, 2026, is National Beer Day. The specific date actually goes back to April 7, 1933, when the Cullen–Harrison Act took effect, legalizing the sale of beer with 3.2% alcohol by weight and light wine after 13 years of prohibition. Full prohibition at the federal level ended later on December 5, 1933, when the 21st Amendment was ratified. You can thank President Franklin D. Roosevelt for that.
National Beer Day in the U.S. was later thought up in 2009 by a couple of buddies enjoying a pint and wings. It spread on social media and was popularized by the app Untappd in 2011. It’s not an official U.S. holiday, but there have been some movements to make it one.
For National Beer Day on April 7, 2026, we analyzed data from tens of thousands of full-service restaurants and bars across the country to gain insight into America’s beer habits and recent pricing trends. Here are a few trends brewing for 2026.
Key takeaways
The price of beer in each U.S. state
The median price of a beer in the U.S.: In March 2026, the median price of a beer in the U.S. was $6.52, up 1.9% compared to March 2025.
Highest prices: Hawaii has the highest median beer prices in the U.S. at $8.00 per order, followed by New York ($7.97) and California ($7.96).
Biggest jump: New Mexico (+4.8%), South Carolina (+4.2%), and Montana (+4.0%) had the highest price increases for beer year-over-year.
The price of beer in major U.S. cities
When it comes to cities that Toast explored, New York, NY has the most expensive beers with a median price of $9.16, and the only city that had a median price above $9. The cheapest beers were in San Antonio, TX, with a median price of $5.99.
While Manhattan had the highest prices, Philadelphia (+3.3%), Nashville (+3.2%), and Washington, D.C. (+3.0%) saw the largest year-over-year price increases, well above the national median price increase of 1.9%.
The cities that had the most price stability year-over-year were San Antonio (-0.4%), Atlanta (+.03%), and Brooklyn (+0.4%).
What affects pricing
Whether it's a craft brew from a local brewery or a mass-produced domestic beer, most beers contain four ingredients: water, hops, yeast, and grains, with barley the most common grain. Beer can also be made from other grains, such as wheat, rice, corn, oats, rye, and more.
Aside from raw ingredients, other factors that affect the price of beer include taxes, distribution costs, packaging costs (such as aluminum cans and kegs or glass bottles), labor, demand, and production expenses. While there are countless American beers served in restaurants in the U.S., there are also plenty of imported beers from around the world, which can face additional costs, from tariffs to shipping costs.
At restaurants, refrigeration — from walk-in coolers filled with kegs to keep draft beers cold to lowboy fridges behind the bar for bottles and cans — staffing, and maintaining draft beer lines can also affect pricing.
When do Americans drink beer the most?
Beer has a bit of a seasonality to it, and in the past year, the warmer months have been the clear winners.
May was the strongest month for beer orders in the last 12 months, where the monthly volume of beer orders was 10% higher than the average for the year. Things were relatively stable during the months of April, June, and July 2025, peaking again in August at 6% above the monthly average for the year
The September 2025 back-to-school season and the end of summer dropped beer orders 4%, only to jump back up in October before falling for the following four months through winter. But in March, things picked back up again, and orders were on par with the annual average.
As for the busiest individual days, it really depends on the calendar and where holidays fall. Saturdays are the busiest beer-drinking day by far, and the Saturday before St. Patrick’s Day (March 14) took the top spot in 2026 with 152% more beer orders than the average day. This trend was also similar last year.
If you or someone you know is struggling with alcohol, there are resources dedicated to providing support, treatment, and guidance. For confidential support and information, you can contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) or visit their website at https://www.samhsa.gov. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) also offers resources and information at https://www.niaaa.nih.gov.
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