SAN MARCOS (KGTV) — San Marcos is now home to San Diego County's first dedicated non-alcoholic brewery and tasting room, founded by a man whose sobriety journey inspired him to reimagine the craft beer experience.
Zane Curtis opened The Lab on Saturday, offering non-alcoholic beverages on draft in a setting designed to recreate the social atmosphere of a traditional brewery.
Curtis said the idea grew out of a deeply personal decision.
"In 2023, after about 20 years of questioning if I was drinking too much, I decided I needed to stop. I wasn't sure what it was going to look like," Curtis said.
About five months into his sobriety, Curtis said he found himself wanting to return to drinking — not for the alcohol, but for what it represented.
"I wanted to go back because I missed the flavor. I missed the community of what drinking is," Curtis said.
He spent seven months searching for non-alcoholic options from around the world before deciding to act.
"At the one-year mark, I said, I'm going to open a bottle shop and see if anybody else wants to drink differently," Curtis said.
The business, called Monday Morning, has already attracted new customers eager to explore the non-alcoholic side of the drinking community. Customer Rita Lafler said she plans to share the experience with others.
"We like to share it with our friends. We actually have friends coming over tonight, so we're going to serve it," Lafler said.
San Marcos Chamber of Commerce President Rick Rungaitis said ribbon cuttings like this one reflect the value of community collaboration in supporting small businesses.
"You need that collaboration. You need that cooperation from the city, from other businesses, from the community as a whole," Rungaitis said.
Curtis said his vision for The Lab goes beyond just selling beverages.
"I want to recreate the beer culture, that craft scene where people can come play pool, they can have beers with friends on draft, they can really get back into that lane," Curtis said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
