Microbrews were so popular the trend caught on and
Microbrews were so popular, the trend caught on and hundreds of home brewery microbreweries sprang up. As they proliferated, some became larger than the microbreweries of the original definition, and the term came to include the concept of artisanal beer in the European tradition. The Association of Brewers reports that in 2006 there were 1,389 regional craft breweries, microbreweries, and brewpubs in the United States. Thousands of beer lovers have realized their dreams by building successful microbrewery businesses. If you are so inclined, you can too. Microbrewery business plans are available online; because alcohol control is given to the states, laws vary by state. Some American microbreweries act as their own distributor (wholesaler) and sell to retailers and/or directly to consumers.