[quote name='depascal22']
There are two huge obstacles to the craft brew industry. Price and alcohol content.
Price stops many people. Who wants to risk $8 on a bottle of beer from a small brewery a thousand miles away? The good liquor stores allow people to break up sixers so they can sample many different beers for a slightly higher price. Target does also but the majority of gas stations, convenience stores, and grocery stores force you to purchase the entire sixer. It's much easier to go with what I've been drinking since high school. Also, many restaurants have specials for the big three but you'll hardly ever see micro or "premium" drafts on that list. My buddies and I can get a pitcher of Bud Light for $5 or we can each pay $5 for a pint of Bass. Most of us would pick the Bass but America wants to drink cheap.
As for alcohol content, the majority of drinkers I know drink to get drunk or hammered. A good beer buzz is nice but who's going on a beer run for another case of Bud? The thing is, they don't want to get hammered in an hour on the good stuff and they don't want to have two beers the whole night. They want a beer in hand at all times and it's just not a good idea with some of the beers we all like to drink.
On top of it all, we're a brand culture. We go to the same grocery stores, gas stations, restaurants, and play the same video games. We don't take chances with any of those, why start with something as important as beer?[/QUOTE]
Those are reasons I find craft beer to be special. There's a joy in discovering something new and unexpected - and that pursuit unites people.
There's a very strong anti-brand commodity culture in the country; in music, in fashion, and definitely in beer. There's definite money to be made on the other side of mass-product (long tail phenomenon - revenues made on many, low-volume products outpace the few, high-volume products). We saw good craft breweries grow during the recession - not because people wanted to get hammered (well, not entirely), but because people chose not to skimp on good beer when they had to make cuts in every other area of their life.