The cost of beer made on-premises is roughly half what vs. buying from a distributor. If you can create real demand for your product at your own pub, you can make an extra $100 per barrel (a.k.a. $50 per keg). At ~2000 barrels a year (which is 200 brew days per year on a _tiny_ 10 barrel system) that's an extra $200k added to your bottom line.

Yes, you need decent chunk of financing + equipment to get started. No, it isn't "real money" to most of the folks on HN. Compared to the margins on most foodservice businesses, though, it's amazing.