photograph by Kelsey Hanrahan

No Raleigh brewery would be complete without a dash of the city’s famous entrepreneurial spirit: By day, Nickelpoint Brewing Co. co-owner Shaluka Perera, 41, is a business development program director at IBM; after hours, the Cary resident helps run the Five Points brewery and taproom, which opened in September 2014. The space serves as a local neighborhood meet-up, with a tasting room, beer garden, and brewery tours. This year, the company plans to expand into canning and distribution. This month, we asked the very busy Perera to fill out our first-ever Snap Chat quiz to give us a look at life inside and outside the brewery.

Favorite N.C. beer (besides your own):

First Frost Winter Persimmon Ale by Fullsteam

Raleigh is great for:

Outdoor activities and great food

Greatest indulgence:

Bacon

Why beer?

Why not? It is liquid bread

Secret weapon:

Key chain bottle opener

Favorite coffee spot / coffee order:

I make my own – Trader Joe’s Café Pajaro

Favorite restaurant / favorite dish:
Dame’s Chicken & Waffles in Durham

Can’t resist:

Bojangles biscuits

On your nightstand:

Alarm clock

On your playlist:

Simon & Garfunkel

Secret hideout:

Running trails

Motto:

There are no problems, only challenges

Never without:

ChapStick

Perfect day:

Sunny and 70

Fatal flaw:

I type slower than I think

Life is good when:

I can sit outside and drink a beer

One wish:

Teleportation

One more:

Get Andrew Zimmern’s Bizarre Foods job for a week