CHARLOTTE, NC — The pints are drying up around the country as we start the New Year. The first month of the year has always been a tough time for the hospitality industry. It’s gotten a lot worse in recent years with the growing popularity of Dry January. A study by Civic Science found 25% of Americans are cutting out alcohol this month. “Dry January has become bigger and bigger over the last few years and it’s a really challenging time for breweries,” said Jake Bock with Divine Barrel Brewing. Bock said sales drop at the brewery about 20% each January. “Last year we said, hey, we need to do stuff. We need to start making our own product that fits that trend,” said Bock. Divine Barrel and other breweries around the state are making other products like hot waters, sodas and mocktails to entice the sober crowd. “We’re very hopeful that with the campaign such as Pour Love into Local, that we can kind of counter that drop off,” said Lisa Parker of NC Craft Brewers Guild. The NC Craft Brewers Guild and Brewers Association have teamed up to get people back. “We’ve seen a decline in socialization for adults over the past ten years. We’ve seen about a 20% drop off. So, that is something that we’re trying to remind people, you know, especially during these winter months, it’s a positive thing to socialize with friends,” said Parker. Breweries like Divine Barrel are hosting more game nights, having live music and even a chili cook off. Whatever it takes to grow with the times. “I feel confident coming into this January with the diversity of menu and diversity of things going on, that we’re going to have a better January than previous years,” said Bock.