10/14/2026
What an evening! Last week I had the best time at the NC Executive Mansion ringing in NC Craft B**r Month, and I’m so thankful to Governor Josh Stein and the NC Craft Brewers Guild for hosting such a fun celebration. 🍻
Getting to show up in rooms like that means a lot more to me than rubbing elbows with some very respectable folks. It’s a chance to stand up for an industry I’ve been proud to call home for the past 10 years, and to see it recognized at the highest level of our state.
Craft b**r is about as local as it gets. It brings more than $13 billion into our state’s economy and supports over 70,000 jobs, and that impact starts with our farmers growing barley, wheat, sweet potatoes and honey, then carries through to the small business owners who take a leap and open their doors in towns all across North Carolina.
Breweries breathe new life into old buildings and forgotten corners of downtown, they draw visitors who come for a pint and stay for the weekend, and they help shape the culture and character of the places we call home. Most of all, they give us somewhere to gather, to meet our neighbors, and to find the kind of connection I think we’re all looking for these days. 🌾
So this October, when you raise a pint at your local brewery, take a second to think about everyone it took to get it into your glass. That’s who we’re really celebrating this month. Cheers, y’all! 🍻