Black is Beautiful

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There were two big stories in 2020 for Craft Beer, COVID-19 and the Black is Beautiful beer project. 

This post may seem untimely since  Black is Beautiful beers started releasing in July, but we kept putting it off. The delay gave us time to reflect on the impact of the movement and the beers it created, listen to new voices, and think about whether the craft beer industry will make long-term changes to improve diversity. We don’t presume to have all the answers, but we want to listen, learn, and speak up where appropriate. 

When we first heard of the Black is Beautiful beer project, it was cool to hear that so many breweries decided to participate. We were happy that over twenty participated in Tennessee, our home base. (A few breweries in TN didn’t submit to the list, but we’ve tasted their delicious Black is Beautiful beer).

Weathered Souls, from San Antonio, TX, is the brewery that launched the Black is Beautiful beer project. If you want to know more about them and their work, our friend Matt Leff from Rhizome Productions interviewed Kimberly Machado, their Sales Manager. Check that out here.

Our goal in all of this was to pay attention, hear new voices, and see things from other perspectives. One of the best podcasts we listened to about Race in Craft Beer issues was the Good Beer Hunting episode “Can You Hear Me Now? — Trying to Talk Race and Beer.” It is worth your time to give it a listen.

We had the pleasure of trying several versions of Black is Beautiful, here are our highlights:

  • Yazoo Brewing (Nashville)  – 10%, on Untappd I called it a “fantastic old school big stout. Everything you want in a big American-style imperial stout. Roasty and bitter, but super easy drinking.
  • Wicked Weed Brewpub (Asheville) – 8%, even AB/INBev got on board, it was sweet with a lot of chocolate
  • Weathered Souls (San Antonio) – 10%, the Marshmallow, Vanilla Bean & Cacao Nibs version, it was cool to taste a Weathered Souls version, the flavors were well balanced, a real treat
  • Black Abbey (Nashville) – 6.1%, lower abv with lactose, super creamy
  • East Nashville Beer Works – 9.5%, not sure how they tweaked the recipe, but dry, roasty, and chocolatey
  • New Heights/Harding House/TheBeerdedBrotha – 10.1%, a collaboration recipe, really dense, with notes of tobacco, roasted coffee, and bittersweet chocolate

So, where do we go from here? 

We want to see more diversity behind the bars and in brewhouses. Here at home, Nashville’s breweries are full of great people, but they are very white. The Good Beer Hunting podcast talked about how we got here, and the big takeaway is we hire people in our circle. But for most of us, our circle generally looks like us. We believe no Nashville brewery intended to have an all-white staff; it just happened. That’s what needs to change. 

The people running our local breweries are good people. We believe they want to do the right thing. Many of them brewed Black is Beautiful beers and supported black causes. So, brewery owners, the next time you have openings in sales, retail, or brewing, find a new circle to ask for referrals. Ask your black customers if they know anyone. Reach out to black craft beer influencers, like Nashville’s TheBeerdedBrotha and TheBlackBeerExperience. (Y’all need to listen to their “The Swig” podcast, good stuff.) Find recruiting channels that aren’t your same-old network. Be intentional in your hiring. 

We would like to see more black brewers who can bring their unique perspectives and creativity to the brewing industry. Brewers, find young black men and women who love craft beer and put them to work in the brewhouse. They may not have much brewing skill or knowledge, but they’ll have a passion for great beer, so train them. Passion is what built the Craft Beer industry. Brewing education is nice to have, but we know many skilled head-brewers who started at the bottom of the ladder and learned their craft on-the-job without formal schooling. 

Can you imagine what Craft Beer could look like in 5-10 years if 500 US breweries committed to hiring a young black person to work in brewing operations in 2021? With committed mentoring and training, we could see a new generation of black head-brewers and brewery owners change this industry. 

If you haven’t had a Black is Beautiful beer yet, get to New Heights right away. They have their collaboration with Harding House and TheBeerdedBrotha still on tap. We’ve also heard tales that some new Black is Beautiful beers will be coming in 2021 from others. We can’t wait.

Be Kind. Be Humble. Be Gracious.

Cheers!