Remember when Asheville smelled like patchouli, Nag Champa, and good old-fashioned reefer?
Long before anyone had heard the term “craft beer tourism,” Asheville had another reputation. Back in the day, you could walk through downtown and catch a whiff of weed and incense coming from just about every direction. We were, unofficially anyway, Weed City USA.
Then something changed.
Asheville’s hippies got older. They got jobs. Some bought houses. Some traded tie-dyes for business casual. And a whole lot of them went to work in breweries.
Soon another aroma began to dominate the mountain air.
Hops.
Suddenly, you couldn’t walk through downtown without smelling somebody brewing an IPA. Asheville became Beer City USA. Breweries exploded. Beer festivals popped up everywhere. Tourists came from all over the country to drink their way through town. The beer scene became an industry.
And for years, it worked.
But industries evolve.
As one local recently told us:
“You can only drink so many IPAs.”
And honestly, they might have a point.
Across America, drinking habits are changing. Americans are consuming less alcohol than they have in decades. Gallup reported that average alcohol consumption dropped to its lowest levels since the 1990s. Market researchers estimate overall alcohol volume in the U.S. has fallen roughly 8% since 2021. Health concerns, rising prices, wellness culture, and the “sober curious” movement are changing how people socialize.
Gen Z especially seems less interested in drinking than previous generations. Many are choosing moderation, non-alcoholic alternatives, or what some call “California sober.” Even older generations are cutting back because, frankly, booze has gotten expensive and hangovers aren’t nearly as fun at 45 as they were at 25.
And breweries nationwide are feeling it.
More breweries have been closing than opening since 2024, and many companies are scrambling to adapt to a world where alcohol is no longer the default social lubricant.
