Hawking Shares On Line

Boutique Beer is hot. Cyberspace is hot. So what could be more hip than a microbrewer that takes itself public over the Internet? The Spring Street Brewing Co., a New York startup, is currently hawking its shares on line.

But investors who let themselves be swayed by this techno-financial novelty may soon be crying in their beer.

Selling the stock, certainly, won’t be simple. Only 2.7 million shares are being offered - at $1.85 each - and the issue isn’t listed on an exchange.

The stock is registered for sale in New York and 14 other states.