It's mid-morning on a Tuesday and Anello Mollica is busy brewing a porter beer. It's the Mud Puppy Porter today, a malty dark brew that's one of the select varieties found at Central Waters Brewing Co., situated between Stevens Point and Waupaca in Amherst, Wis. As Mollica and partner Paul Graham can attest, the craft beer industry is not only holding strong, it's growing.
"People's palates are becoming more refined," Mollica points out during a break in the brewing cycle. "They're willing to spend more for a craft beer-and once they try it, there's no going back."