A couple of years ago I visited our state legislature, calling on representatives to support a change in the alcohol laws that would expand the range of craft beers available. One senator graciously gave me some of his time, despite the fact that he probably wasn't going to support the legislation: his district was dry. But we talked about the upcoming vote and the possible effects of the bill on alcohol consumption. Before I left, he asked, "These craft beers you're talking about - what are they, 30 per cent of the market?" I tried not to laugh, and admitted that craft beer sales amounted to about one-tenth of that, around three percent of the American beer market. The senator was polite enough not to ask the obvious questions: "Three percent? Is that all? What's the big deal?"
展开▼
