More Americans Brew at Home

Home brewing has grown in popularity as Americans with increasingly sophisticated taste in beer look to cut costs, Time reports. Despite layoffs and bankruptcies nationwide, a couple in Connecticut just opened Maltose Express, a beer-brewing supply shop, and are already doing brisk business. Home brewers also gather there to share their wares and socialize.

“People are really interested because they can make beer as good as or better than what they can buy,” says one of the owners. With home brewing attractive to beer connoisseurs, the thrifty hobbyist, and local-food enthusiasts alike, around 750,000 Americans make their own, almost double the number 5 years ago, the American Home Brewers Association said.
(More home brewing stories.)