Introduction To Microbrews

With their varying flavour intensities and alcohol contents, microbrews are here because beer distributors found a market need and took a chance on imports like Corona in the seventies. This type of flavourful beer sold to a limited yet really enthusiastic crowd.

Beer manufacturers produce what sells, hence they did not believe there would be a substantial market with those types of beers. Consumer analyses and sales indicated that the biggest part of the American audiences loved watery brew.

Then, out of nowhere, microbrews popped up after the first successful brew, Samuel Adams, fought with import distributors to try and convince them that a flavourful American beer would sell. Now, we have more microbrews than ever before with more coming out day-after-day.
Microbrews really hit when distributors really believed that at least a few people would buy them. On the other hand, home brewers and brewpubs had legal wars. In 1968, home brewing was legalized and home beer makers now had the support and assistance of supply and advice stores.

Until 1983, brewpubs were illegal in all states. Later in 1983, California first started to allow brewpubs to brew and sell their brands of beer on site. These charming, yet small batchbreweries experienced high sales, particularly in restaurants.

Approximately a century ago, the United States had more than 2,000 breweries making a lot of different styles and variations. By the 80's, there were just forty brewing companies that offered a brand of American Pilsener.

Nowadays, there are more than five hundred microbreweries and brewpubs in the United States. Over the past few years, brewpubs have been popping up everywhere, even in bars that used to only carry the top beers.