"Cleveland has always been a beer town," says Miller. "Before prohibition, virtually every neighborhood in the city had its own brewery -- especially on the West Side, where the Germans lived." Indeed, at the close of the nineteenth century, Cleveland boasted nearly twenty breweries, all serving a primarily local market.
After the repeal of National Prohibition (1920-1933), nine local breweries reopened, but fierce competition from the nation's large brewers soon threatened the survival of regional beer-makers everywhere. According to Miller, "The small, local brewer was an endangered species by the end of the 1950s. Clevelanders still had a fondness for their local beers, but strong competition from the big brewers made it difficult for the 'little guys' to keep their heads above water."
However, during the 1980s, brewpubs and microbreweries began springing up around the country, giving rise to a sort of rebirth of brewing on a regional basis. "In a sense, the brewing industry has come full circle," says Miller. "Cleveland's nineteenth century brewers were all very geared toward serving a strictly local market. The new microbrewers have that same kind of commitment to preserving their local character."