Black is Beautiful Austin Brewery Releases, Part 1
Black is Beautiful is a beer collaboration on a fierce mission to raise awareness of the daily injustices people of color face. The project is the brainchild of Marcus Baskerville, Head Brewer & Co-Owner of San Antonio brewery, Weathered Souls. Baskerville expounded via the Black is Beautiful site, “This platform and collaboration is about understanding and supporting people of color and inclusion… With the current tensions that are rising we thought that it was of grave importance to start the Black Is Beautiful initiative. We took a stout recipe and decided to call on our peers in the brewing industry to collaborate in unison for equality and inclusion amongst people of color. All proceeds from the purchase of these releases will be donated to local funds that support police brutality reform and legal defenses.”
Baskerville should be incredibly proud of his efforts as there are over 900 breweries worldwide participating at this point. In Texas, over 100 breweries have joined and Austin area breweries have stepped up in the fight for inclusion. To read more about this worldwide initiative click here.
Photo credit to Kevin Hobbins @hobbinero
Below is Part 1 of a 3 Part Series announcing the Austin area Black is Beautiful releases.
Part 1 consists of early July releases while Part 2 will involve late July, August & beyond for 2020. Regarding their participation, each brewery was asked why they feel it is important for their brewery to participate in this project & what inspires them about it. Below you will find their planned release date, which organization they will be donating the beer’s proceeds to and a description of their version of the Imperial Stout.
Austin Beerworks
“We want to raise awareness and support through action instead of just words. And we want our existing and potential customers to know where we stand.” | Michael Graham, Co-Founder/ Sales & Marketing
Release Date: Early July, Check Social Media
What Organization You Are Donating To: NAACP Legal Defense Fund
Description of Beer: Imperial Stout with Hazelnut, Cocoa Nibs & Vanilla
How to Find It: Follow Austin Beerworks’ Instagram, Twitter & Facebook
Bluebonnet Beer Company
”Social and racial injustice has no place in our lives. Our hope is to see the inequalities and biases come to an end in our lifetime. All one need see is the diversity of the crowd at Bluebonnet on any given weekend to know what we, and our community is all about. Craft beer is a great place to find common ground for all walks of life. It doesn’t matter what line of work you’re in, where you live, or where/if you went to school. We can all sit down and enjoy a conversation over a pint or two.” | Dave Hulama, Owner
Release Date: July 17, 2020
What Organization You Are Donating To: Austin Justice Coalition
Description of Beer: Imperial Stout, a Portion to be Barrel Aged in Banner Whiskey Barrels
How to Find It: Available on tap & 12 oz cans in taproom only
Family Business Beer Company
“We are truly honored to be a part of the Black is Beautiful initiative. Our Brewery mission statement has always been one of inclusion and acceptance of everyone from any walk of life. We are a family business and family is not limited to bloodline color or any other characteristic. It is important for Family Business Beer Company to be involved, to stand up for what is right and for us to be true to who we are and what we believe as a company…I’m inspired by the fact that this project was started by a Texas brewer of color, and in a matter of a couple weeks has swelled from only a couple of participants to well over 500 breweries from all over the country. I’m proud to be part of a community and industry that is coming together to speak truth to power, and help send the message that no one deserves to be abused by those who have power.” | Nate Seale, Head Brewer
Release Date: Released July 3, 2020
What Organization You Are Donating To: Austin Justice Coalition
Description of Beer: Russian Imperial Stout blended with fruity, tropical hops (along with another mysterious ingredient or two)
How to Find It: Follow Family Business’s Social Media Accounts
Hedgehog Brewing
“It’s important for us to participate because the issues affecting BIPOC are real, systemic and in need of large scale change. We want to celebrate our Black beer family and use our privilege to elevate Black voices.” | Jonathan Harris, Owner & Brewer
Release Date: July 23, 2020
What Organization You Are Donating To: Austin Justice Coalition
Description of Beer: Imperial Stout with Brownies, Coffee & Molasses
How to Find It: Follow Hedgehog Brewing’s Social Media Accounts
Meridian Hive Meadery
“We are proud to be among the leaders in the Austin brewing community, we are an inclusive and welcoming group and we want to share that positivity and respect with our local community. There is no place for racism in this world, let’s move forward and grow together.” | Cayce Rivers, CEO
Release Date: Week of July 20th, Check Social Media
What Organization You Are Donating To: Austin Justice Coalition
Description of Beer: As a licensed Winery, Meridian Hive’s version is a rich, full bodied, dark mead a little over 12% ABV, showcasing orange blossom, blueberry & blackcurrant flavors.
How to Find It: Follow Meridian Hive’s Social Media Accounts.
Nomadic Beerworks
“We believe BLACK LIVES MATTER. Inaction at this time, when there is momentum building for meaningful change to systemic racism, would devalue the efforts of the groups working so hard to make lasting changes occur. We care about people.” | Dan Tyranski, Founder
Release Date: July 17, 2020
What Organization You Are Donating To: Austin Justice Coalition
Description of Beer: Imperial Stout, Version #2 – Imperial Stout with Cacao Nibs, Coffee, & Tangerine.
How to Find It: Follow Nomadic’s Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter most frequently. You can sign up for their newsletter on their website.
Real Ale Brewing Co
“The bottom line is that we believe equal rights are non-negotiable. The craft beer community is a special one, one that we hope will continue to grow and facilitate inclusion, change,and work towards a better tomorrow. We think this is a great first step.” | Carrie Kokinda, Marketing & Events Coordinator
Release Date: August 12, 2020 – Reserve for curbside pickup
What Organization You Are Donating To: ACLU Foundation of Texas
Description of Beer: Russian Imperial Stout with Lactose
How to Find It: Social media & https://realalebrewing.square.site/
Roughhouse Brewing
“It’s important for Roughhouse, as a white-owned and operated brewery, to speak up and signal to our community, our customers, and even our staff that this issue is about the injustice of basic human rights, and we won’t tolerate it. We want to encourage new conversations and challenge ourselves as business owners to find ways to make our world a better place for Black Americans. This collaboration is a small first step; it might possibly be the most important collaboration we’ll ever do.” | Alex Pasternak, Co-Founder/Marketing/Taproom
Release Date: July 11, 2020
What Organization You Are Donating To: Color of Change
Description of Beer: Bourbon-Barrel Aged Black Saison with Cocoa Nibs, Cinnamon & Vanilla
How to Find It: Follow Roughhouse’s social media (Facebook & Instagram), joining their newsletter or checking out the Events page at roughhousebrewing.com.
St Elmo Brewing
“I think it is important for everyone to do what they can to make their community better. St Elmo puts a lot of effort into engaging with our community. I’m embarrassed to say that we have done very little in focusing on tackling racial disparities. I haven’t done enough personally, and neither has our brewery. This is our first step in the right direction.” | Bryan Winslow, Co-Founder & Head Brewer
Release Date: July 24, 2020
What Organization You Are Donating To: Measure Austin
Description of Beer: Imperial Stout with Cherry
How to Find It: Follow St Elmo Brewing’s Social Media Accounts.
On a final note, Baskerville requests, “We ask that you please stand with us to create something that has never been seen before and show the world the brewing community is one of a kind.”
Get out & support these amazing releases, & stay tuned for Part 2 to be posted in the coming weeks. Not only are your dollars going to some delicious summer stouts, but more importantly, they are supporting causes that are working diligently to fight racial discrimination. Make sure to tag #BlackIsBeautifulBeer & #CraftBeerAustin when you pick up so we can all share in a social distance cheers to equality.
Sneak Peak of Part 2: 4th Tap Brewing, Batch Craft Beer & Kolaches, Beerburg Brewing, Black Star Co-op, The Brewtorium, Frontyard Brewing, Hold Out Brewing, Humble Pint Brewing Co., Independence Brewing, Jester King Brewery, Live Oak Brewing Co., Oddwood Ales, Pinthouse Pizza, Red Horn Coffee House & Brewing Co., Southern Heights Brewing, Whitestone Brewery, & Zilker Brewing Co.
Label art by Austin’s own KD Design:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CBOszYmp5Y7/
[Feature image credit to Kevin Hobbins @hobbinero]
