A rainbow of flavors: the explosive growth of flavor choices for the American consumer, 1980 to 1992.

Grant, H.L.

Abstract
From the refounding of the US brewing industry after the end of Prohibition until about 1980, the consolidation of the industry and the expansion of the marketing territories of the large brewing companies led not only to a steady decline in the number of beer brands available but also to an increasing standardization of beer brand characteristics, especially flavour. After 1980, however, a substantial increase in both the volume and variety of beer imports, accompanied by the rise of the brewpub and microbrewery sector, made a wide variety of other beer styles available, generally with distinctive flavours quite different from the standard lager brands of the national breweries. The author estimates that some 2500 beer brands were on sale in the USA in 1992, compared to only 40 in 1980.
Keywords : beer brand flavour survey