Americans are spending less and most small businesses are losing money. Restaurants, retail outlets and car dealerships suffer from a lack of customers. But in Cambridge, a business specializing in home beer brewing is thriving. Robert Chasse, who works at Modern Homebrew, says his job is secure.

“It pretty much is recession proof,” says Chasse. “When the economy goes south, everyone’s going to want to get drunk to forget it. When the market improves everybody’s going to want to get drunk to celebrate.”

Historically, the beer industry maintains profits during a recession. In 2001, Economist Donald Freeman examined beer sales between 1955 and 1994. He found beer sales held steady through economic changes. A recent Nielsen survey suggests most people haven’t cut back on beer consumption. Drinking seems a reasonable indulgence. And for those who wish to indulge and save, home brewing is a cheaper alternative to liquor stores.

“Making my own stuff just makes sense,” says Matt Carroll, a Modern Homebrew employee.

For regulars at Modern Homebrew, filling a growler starts with the raw ingredients. They pick the yeast, sniff out the hops and grind the grains. Carroll says his home brewed ales are better and cheaper than what he could buy in stores.

“You’re able to make something that is the fancy expensive six pack for a price more comparable to the really cheap stuff,” says Carroll.

The past decade brought an unprecedented demand for unique and complex beer. That demand was met by an astronomical increase in U.S. craft brewers. But a looming recession raised concerns about the willingness of consumers to continue paying for quality over quantity. Those worries were partially quelled by a mid-2008 Brewer’s Association report showing craft beer dollar sales up 11 percent from last year. Ann George, president of the Hop Growers of America, says the craft industry will continue to grow.

“I think that they’ve developed a pretty loyal following,” says George, “and I’m hopeful that they’ll be able to maintain their strength through the economic downturn.”

In case you don’t know, hops are bitter, piney flowers that are crucial to beer making. Worldwide hop acreage depleted considerably since 1994, until this year. George, who aids communication between growers and brewers, says U.S. hop yields spiked 23 percent this year. She says hop farmers could prosper in coming years.

“We’re hopeful that from the standpoint of raw materials for beer, that we’ll be able to see that market at least hold its own if not strengthen somewhat,” says George.

Part of this year’s hop acreage came from Chasse at Modern Homebrew. When the hop shortage threatened some of his favorite hop varieties last year, he planted his own hop fields in Missouri to get the strains he wants. This self-reliant mentality, Chasse says, protects home brewers from worldwide economic trends.

“We rely on no one,” Chasse says. “We don’t have to rely on anyone, because we do it ourselves.”

Modern Homebrew’s manager Randy Barrel is optimistic about the appeal of his store in a weak economy. Even if national business cycles continue spiraling downward, he’s confident people will keep brewing their own beer.

“I’m pretty happy with where we are in the current market economy,” Barrel says.