Creating an All-Inclusive Beer Community

Oct 7

I began this blog with the intention of writing strictly about beer; however the senseless deaths of Ahmad Aubrey, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd (among so many others) transcend any other topic of discussion at this point and time. Thus, I am compelled to use my platform to condemn racism of any kind, facilitate major reform, and promote equality and diversity (particularly within the beer community).

Beer itself is widely considered the “universal beverage” because of the broad variety of styles as well as the appeal to such a large demographic of people across the globe; yet, in the United States, Black people are vastly underrepresented in the craft beer community. While there has been some progress in recent years, Black Americans only own about one percent of independent breweries across the US. Considering they represent roughly 14 percent of our country’s population, we are not seeing the type of diversity (from an ownership perspective) that is implicit of this beverage.

Personally, I’ve been forced to take a step back and reevaluate the culture I have cultivated in my own life; this includes identifying any implicit biases and stereotypes that have hindered me from advocating for the Black community and addressing the systemic issues that have plagued our country long before the aforementioned tragedies. With that said, I want to be clear that I am fully committed to ensuring an all-inclusive beer community with greater representation from BIPOC.

While there are some great non-profit groups such as Brewing Change Collaborative, which fosters diversity and inclusion through advocacy, outreach, and education, there is still so much more we can be doing as members of the beer community. A quick action item that comes to mind is dedicating more of your purchasing power towards Black-owned businesses, including breweries. The global health pandemic has affected Black communities disproportionately (40% of Black-owned businesses have been forced to close since March alone) adding another layer of adversity to an already unlevel playing field. The more we spend at these places, the more funding available for the owners who desperately need it during such challenging times. And hey, I realize that money is tight for a lot of us right now but this doesn’t require any additional funds – it’s about spending your normal monthly beer allowance intentionally and thoughtfully.

Another action item I want to mention is the Black is Beautiful initiative, spearheaded by Marcus Baskerville, Founder and Head Brewer of Weathered Souls Brewing Company in San Antonio, Texas. This is a collaborative effort amongst the brewing community aimed at bringing awareness to social injustice while raising funds to facilitate reform. It consists of an Imperial Stout recipe, created by Weathered Souls Brewing Company, that showcases various shades of black. All of the participating breweries are urged to donate 100% of the proceeds from this beer to a local organization that supports diversity and inclusion. Make sure to look for updates from your local breweries about when this beer will be released. Also, you can check out a continuously updated list of participating breweries by clicking here.

Lastly, below is a list of Black-owned breweries located all across the US. If I missed one that you know of, please send me a message so I can update the list. I look forward to sharing some of my favorites as I begin to explore these brews. Cheers to equality for all!

West Coast

Crowns and Hops – Opening soon in Inglewood, CA

Metier – Woodinville, WA

Warcloud – Los Angeles, CA

Midwest

18th Street Brewery – Gary, IN

Black Frog – Holland, OH

ONE Fermentary and Taproom – Minneapolis, MN

South

Cajun Fire – New Orleans, LA

Dirtbag Ales – Hope Mills, NC

Down Home Brewing – Atlanta, GA