The numbers have been kind to craft brewing for nearly a decade now, especially in the microbrewery segment, which showed an impressive 18.7-percent growth rate for 2009.

Recession be damned. Americans might be putting off buying that new home or car, they might be making do with last year’s fashions, but they continue to splurge on better beer.

Slowing sales, layoffs, forced consolidation, and more recently a general falling out between big brewers, craft brewers and distributors made the headlines in 2009.

Craft brewers took the city by storm April 7-10 with a plethora of events surrounding the 2010 Craft Brewers Conference, BrewExpo America and World Beer Cup.

Brewery-restaurants are better positioned for economic hard times than non-brewery restaurants, as evidenced by their 2-percent growth in a tumultuous year.

The numbers have been kind to craft brewing for nearly a decade now, especially in the microbrewery segment, which showed an impressive 18.7-percent growth rate for 2009.

Recession be damned. Americans might be putting off buying that new home or car, they might be making do with last year’s fashions, but they continue to splurge on better beer.