By Jason Notte of The Street
PORTLAND, Ore. (TheStreet) — When the first big microbrewing boom began in the late 1980s and early 1990s, one of the first items many brewers found themselves learning to make wasn’t a brown ale or IPA, but a hamburger.
At the time, it was tough to get folks to simply try your beer. There weren’t a whole lot of small brewers around and shelf and tap space that’s at a premium now was basically nonexistent then. Your best bets were to pound the pavement and hope some bars and shops would be kind enough to pick up some kegs and cases or to get the people to come to you. That meant food and entertainment, which meant you had to open brewpubs… CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL STORY AT THE STREET
