Local brewery Schooner Exact was featured in a story on MSN.com today regarding the rise of nanobreweries. You can see the full story here.

Here is an excerpt from the story:

Heather McClung, one of the owners of Seattle’s Schooner Exact brewery, grasps the neighborhood aspect of the nanobrew concept. “Historically, people used to brew for their household, or their communities. This is seen in the architecture of homes, when they built their doors just wide enough for the community brewing kettle to fit through. Nanobreweries are taking brewing back to its historical context by brewing small and brewing for their community. … How much more local can you get, other than to do it yourself?”

Schooner Exact shows what’s possible. McClung said the company began in June 2006 as a whim she shared with husband Matt McClung and close friend Marcus Connery. “Matt and I were about to be married, so we were ramping up our homebrewing in order to make beer for the wedding,” Heather McClung said by e-mail. “We ran across a pilot system for sale so Matt, Marcus and I decided to purchase it for $1,500. When Matt and Marcus were returning from picking up the system, they looked at each other and said, ‘wouldn’t this be cool if we decided to go pro?’ Hence, Schooner Exact was born.”

From such meager beginnings is a dream born; Schooner Exact has expanded from a storage-shed-sized operation to one that now sells its product throughout Puget Sound. For McClung, however, it’s important that the company’s growth stays rooted in the community. “By choosing to drink local, one can contribute to a greater sense of community as well as being a green, sustainable approach,” she said. “If you purchase a local beer, the profits of that purchase go back into the community — and the cycle begins again.”