Convenience Big Store: Breweries and distilleries are helping revive this opioid-hit neighborhood

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Hi all,

Travel changes people, but it also changes the places they go. That's why choosing the businesses you support is so important. In Philadelphia's Kensington neighborhood, which was once called the "Walmart of Heroin," community breweries and distilleries are helping to revitalize the area. In his first story for Matador Network, Jared Ranahan explores how places like Philadelphia Brewing Co., New Liberty Distillery, and Fermentery Form are making Kensington a draw for both locals and visitors.

Elsewhere, if you're into all things Oktoberfest but missed the festival in Munich this year, there's good news: There are plenty of Oktoberfests still happening around the world. Stateside, it's getting to be whiskey season. Turns out the best whiskey experience in the US (for the very dedicated, at least) is in Vermont, not Kentucky. Finally, you may have noticed pop-ups are taking over no matter where you travel. Here's why.

Enjoy the rest of your week and sip all the warming drinks,

Nickolaus Hines, food and drink editor

BARS + NIGHTLIFE

Breweries and distilleries are helping revive this opioid-hit neighborhood

PHILADELPHIA HAS HAD its ups and downs in the 330-plus years since it was founded, but recently, the northeast neighborhood of Kensington's hardships have been particularly in focus. It has become the epicenter of opioids and the drug trade in the Northeast, earning it the nickname "Walmart of Heroin" in the press.

However, a new boom is taking over the neighborhood and working to revitalize it, and this one is perfectly legal (at least since 1933). Today, breweries and distilleries abound in Kensington, attracting a wealth of customers from around the city. These business owners are investing in the neighborhood and helping to clean it up.

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