When self-described “retired party girl” Amanda Jones moved to Asheville in 2015, the first hike she took concluded with a brewery visit.

“That kind of created my experience with Asheville,” Jones reflected while sipping an iced chai, a beverage more in keeping with her current sober lifestyle. “We just go to breweries for everything.” 

Asheville, once dubbed “Beer City, USA,” is responsible for a third of the gross state product attributed to breweries. Beer has seeped into almost every aspect of the mountain city’s identity and economy, with a nearly $1 billion annual impact on the region.

But breweries now face a sobering reality: Growth in the craft beer industry has stagnated. Now nonalcoholic beer, wine, and spirits are the fastest-growing segment of the beverage industry, up 31 percent last year.

Moriah House reports on how North Carolina brewers are trying to meet the demand.

Good News for the Sober Curious

With Generation Z drinking less than their older counterparts and more people exploring a less alcohol-centered nightlife, North Carolina’s brewery scene is trying something new.

“All of our breweries are trying to diversify and not just make malt beverages,” said Karis Roberts, executive director of the Asheville Brewers Alliance. “It’s just—do they have the capital to make it happen?”

Have a news tip for our team? You can reach us at scoops@theassemblync.com.

Veepstakes

Now that the rest of the country is learning the name Roy Cooper, the internet has abounded with insights about North Carolina’s two-term governor. We rounded up some of the chatter.

Meanwhile, WRAL reminds us that many people are mispronouncing his last name: It’s apparently “Kuə-per” not “COO-per.”

What We’re Reading

No Gov, No Love: The N&O answers questions about whether Mark Robinson would be left in charge should Cooper become the vice presidential pick.

Bill of Goods: A joint CityView, BPR, and WFDD investigation finds officials in several cities secured a total of $12 million to pay an out-of-state developer for projects meant to help the homeless—but none of them have come to fruition.

Going for Gold: Here are all the Olympians and Paralympians with ties to North Carolina who will be competing in Paris, according to Axios.

Our Recent Stories

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Army vet Shelane Etchison, who broke gender barriers in Afghanistan and Syria, is polished and confident. But running against the two-party system has its own challenges.

Yeti or Not, Here They Come

Western North Carolina is drawing Bigfoot hunters–from those who take cryptozoology seriously to those who are just in it for a good time. What is it about the area that attracts the Sasquatch-curious?

River Rescue

Gov. Roy Cooper keeps asking for more money to protect North Carolina’s rivers and lakes, and the General Assembly keeps saying no. Citizen scientists are taking up the slack.

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