Getting into homebrewing, I've also heard from brewers who have decided to go in the brewing business. I also grew up in the city that's now considered "Beer City, USA" (Asheville, NC). One thing I have found out is that much of the weird distribution laws are a throw back from prohibition, and there are also monetary and political factors that leave the status quo for why distribution is different for given counties. Some areas only allow one distributor, for example, and they're going to put bigger labels up in top viewing shelves. There were exemptions for wine to be made in the home during prohibition, but beer was still outlawed until as recently as 1977 (I've heard from folks that before homebrewing was legalized, groceries would have a Pabst "hopped malt extract"). Since it was hopped, it only had one use...and you wrote away and received a mimeograph letter with no return stamp, which told you to add this much sugar, water, and yeast...but don't drink. The impression I heard was that it wasn't good at all. Now that home-brewing is legal, I've got access to all the ingredients and methods commercial breweries have, and enjoy trying different styles. Some breweries in NC have also ventured into distilling ("moonshine", full corn, has been popular). I also think NC exploded with the brewing scene because the state allowed breweries to sell their own beers on tap and in growlers with their tasting rooms. In GA, breweries can only sell full pints if they're a brew pub...otherwise, they can only serve samples and go through a distributor with bottling/caning.
