It retains interests in other regional breweries, and has expanded into steak houses (Beefeater).

"In a few more years, we could become, maybe not a regional brewery, but a big enough operation to really cover this area and beyond."

With a strong German and European influence, small and regional breweries littered the state.

These are "new" nationals, formed by mergers and takeovers of former regional breweries.

Many local and regional breweries stayed in business by marketing their own near-beers.

The company continued to contract-brew the beers at other regional breweries.

Q. Where will future growth come from - acquisitions of more regional breweries?

He says he just wants to create a great regional brewery, where the beers taste very, very good.

Without constant advertising, he said, the regional breweries simply can't compete.

Since the early 1990s, small regional breweries have made a comeback, popping up all over the United States, and variety has increased.