Raleigh is an ever-growing and expanding city that continues to surprise its residents with new and exciting restaurants, bars, cafes and more, building up the innovative food and drink scene the city is known for.

In recent years, Raleigh has added a new and exciting kind of coffee bar to the scene that offers both coffee and beer, as well as other non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages, lending a diverse selection of drink options to be enjoyed by customers no matter what they’re in the mood for.

Sy Sourisak, owner of Liquid State on Hillsborough Street, says that the inspiration for his shop, which features beer, coffee, tea, wine, and other beverages, comes from his travels in Europe, where it’s the norm for coffee shops to also provide alcoholic beverages along with coffee. This idea is becoming a small trend in Raleigh, with places popping up like Devolve Moto, Sola Coffee Cafe and Jubala, that expand their focus to provide beer and coffee in the same establishment.

Within these eclectic coffee bars, Raleigh’s large selection of coffee roasters and micro breweries are assembled in one place, making for a convenient one-stop-shop for both Raleighites and visitors to experience a range of local flavors.

Liquid State and BREW Coffee Bar offer a selection of coffee made with beans from roasters in Raleigh, as well as throughout North Carolina and neighboring states. They also feature rotating beers on draft from local breweries like Trophy, Fullsteam Brewery and Lynnwood Brewing Concern.

“Our drive from the beginning was to bring together coffee, beer and people, and they’ve found the perfect venn diagram in this place,” said Mike Sholar, owner of BREW Coffee Bar, located on Seaboard Avenue in Raleigh.

The wide array of drink options to choose from make these shops the perfect place to gather with friends or colleagues around a drink and experience a plethora of local and diverse beverages, whether a glass of beer, a cup of coffee or a bottle of wine.

Customers from all different walks of life can be found in these bustling cafes, which at first appear as any other one of Raleigh’s original coffee shops but include wrap-around bars and counters, beer taps and even coffee-beer mash-ups, like those at 42 & Lawrence.

42 & Lawrence, located on East Martin Street, has earned its nickname, “the Coffee Lab,” from its menu of experimentative drinks that combine aspects of both coffee and alcoholic beverages. This includes a “draft latte,” made from locally sourced milk, cold brew, house made vanilla syrup, and sugar and a nitro cold brew which co-manager Taylor Pritchard says resembles the creaminess of a nitro guinness on tap complete with “cascading foam.”

These coffee bars, which provide customers with a range of different drink options to choose from in one place, lend an engaging vitality you won’t find anywhere else.

“We wanted a social place, a place where people could gather no matter what your tastes are. This medley of activity and drinks, it works,” said Sourisak.

With both a selection of beers and coffees on their menus, these shops are providing a distinct and interesting place for people to come together over good drinks. Customers can experience the exceptional quality of Raleigh’s coffee and beer scene without having to drive to separate locations.