by Erin Lawrimore

To spotlight the current exhibit in the Hodges Reading Room, SCUA hosted an event on Thursday, October 23, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the legalization of craft brewing in North Carolina and the 20th anniversary of the passage of the Pop the Cap legislation that raised the ABV limit in the state. At 5pm, exhibit curator Erin Lawrimore provided visitors with a tour of the exhibit in Jackson Library.

The group then moved to the Weatherspoon Art Museum for a panel discussion with three industry experts who talked about their involvement in the early years of North Carolina craft beer. Speakers included:

• Kinney Baughman: The first professional brewer in Watauga County, Baughman brewed Boone’s first IPA and an early pumpkin spice beer. His Amber Framboise won a bronze medal in 1995, at the Great American Beer Festival in the Belgian-style Specialty Ales category, well before there was a GABF category for sour beers. Baughman ran his own company, Brewco, and is a retired adjunct professor of philosophy at Appalachian State University.
• Bobby Bush: Author of hundreds of articles about U.S. beer and the brewing industry dating back to the early 1990s. Bush is also co-founder of the Hickory Hops Craft Beer Festival, the third-oldest continuously running beer festival in North Carolina. Bush is an avid collector of breweriana with more than 400 t-shirts, hundreds of pint glasses and growlers, and thousands of coasters.
• Julie Johnson: Former co-owner and editor of All About Beer magazine. She authored an article for the Raleigh News and Observer in 2002 that helped launch “Pop the Cap.” Johnson continued to lead this movement that changed the craft beer landscape in North Carolina, jump-starting a billion-dollar industry and creating hundreds of businesses and thousands of jobs.

Additionally, beer tastings were offered from many of the breweries that have participated in the Well Crafted NC research project, which focuses on documenting the history of beer and brewing in North Carolina. Approximately 50 guests were on hand to enjoy drinks and conversation.

The “Cheers to 40 Years!” exhibit remains on view in Hodges Reading Room through February 2026. You can see the exhibit during our regular operating hours – Monday through Friday between 9am and 4pm.