Our State Public House

A passionate advocate for North Carolina’s booming craft beer and wine industry, Metzger thought the North Carolina State Fair the perfect opportunity to showcase these homegrown products. Working with the NC Craft Brewers Guild and the NC Wine and Grape Council, Metzger outlined a plan for the Public House, a place for fairgoers to enjoy craft beverages, from beer and wine to soda, bringing in Our State magazine to sponsor the effort. 

With her unique expertise in alcohol policy, Metzger was able to navigate a change in longstanding State Fair rules to outline a safe, responsible way for folks to sample award-winning brews from across the state. Keeping the effort mission-focused in the name of promoting North Carolina’s craft beverage industry as a whole, she worked with stakeholders to ensure that proceeds from Public House sales would be funneled into research and marketing efforts for the 280 craft breweries and 185 wineries that call North Carolina home.

Now in its third year, the Public House has become a mainstay at the fair, introducing thousands of fairgoers to the abundance of amazing homegrown brews North Carolina has to offer.