After the successful launch of "Old Tuffy," a premium lager and joint beer venture of popular craft brewer New Belgium and NC State, Wolfpack athletics announced Monday afternoon that beer sales will begin at Carter-Finley Stadium starting with the season opener against East Carolina Aug. 31.

Although specific beers and prices were not announced, it is anticipated that "Old Tuffy" will be among the selections.

The state's general assembly approved a law that was signed by Governor Roy Cooper that allowed its public institutions to begin selling alcohol at games.

Over the past 10 years, the number of universities selling beer at games has grown from fewer than a dozen to more than 50. The SEC lifted a ban on alcohol sales for its schools in May.

Research has shown positive results from schools that sell beer. West Virginia and Oregon both had declines in alcohol-related incidents. West Virginia reported more than $3 million in revenue from alcohol sales from 2011-16.

Oregon went from selling alcohol in exclusive areas to throughout the stadium in 2018, and sales were up 61 percent through the five games.

The following is the full press release from NC State athletics:

NC State has formalized procedures and polices related to the addition of beer sales within public areas of Carter-Finley Stadium in advance of the Wolfpack’s season opener on August 31.

The NC State University Board of Trustees approved the necessary revisions to the university’s alcohol policies on July 10, allowing for the sale of beer in athletic venues. From that point, multiple NC State departments began the process of collaboratively determining logistics for sales at Carter-Finley Stadium with the priority of providing a safe, positive experience for all attendees.

“We have one of the great game day environments in college football, our fans fill the stands each year and this is another way to enhance the experience for a segment of our audience at Carter-Finley Stadium,” said director of athletics Boo Corrigan. “That said, we want to make sure we do this responsibly, with fan safety and an enjoyable fan experience in mind. This is something that can continue to evolve but we have taken what we feel are the appropriate measures to implement this for the upcoming season.”

Key items on game day beer sales:

· Beer will be sold at new stations in the four corners of Carter-Finley Stadium – separate from existing food and beverage concessions. These lines will be limited to beer, water, peanuts and one hard seltzer product. There will be between 40-50 points of sale on the concourse.

· Following the lead of several professional and college venues and recommendations of industry professionals, NC State’s plan is to initially sell beer in cans and/or plastic bottles only – not on draft. Containers are easier to transport, stock and keep cold, and can be served to fans faster, reducing line wait times.

· Fans will need to show legal identification proving they are 21 years of age or over each time they purchase a beer. Anyone appearing under the age of 30 will be subject to ID check and will be required to wear a wristband.

· Per state law, customers will be sold one beer per person per ID per purchase.

· Everyone serving beer in the stadium will be a certified and properly trained server.

· Beer will not be sold to anyone appearing to be intoxicated.

· Beer sales will begin when general stadium gates open 90 minutes prior to kickoff and stop at the end of the third quarter.

· No beer container may be brought in or out of the stadium, including empty containers.

· Officials will be added to monitor fan safety and behavior inside the stadium.

· NC State is not planning to sell wine this season.

Beer selections and pricing will be communicated at a later time. The sale of beer at Carter-Finley Stadium does not impact the existing stadium re-entry policy (pass-outs), which remain in place.

Policies and procedures will be subject to change and modification as this process evolves. Plans for beer and wine sales at additional NC State venues continue to be evaluated.

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