CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Brewers across the country are using their beer to raise awareness about injustices people of color face.
The Black is Beautiful initiative was originally started in Texas, but it didn’t take long to reach the Queen City. Assistant brewer and packaging technician at Resident Culture Brewing Zach Holt says he knows Marcus Baskerville, who created the recipe.
“My dad is the owner of Weathered Souls Brewing in San Antonio and Marcus is his head brewmaster,” Holt says.
Holt says he used to work with Baskerville at his dad’s brewery, so it’s no surprise they called him shortly after starting their project for Black is Beautiful.
“Right before they launched it, my dad called me and said that they were going to do this,” Holt says. “Then, I called them immediately and told them I would talk to Amanda and Philip and I was really passionate about it. And they were right on board.”
Holt convinced Resident Culture to join in on the project. Other breweries in Charlotte got brewing as well.
“I think it really represents how open minded the world is now and how accepting people are,” Holt says. “It’s in all 50 states, it’s in 20 different countries and there are over 1,000 breweries doing it.”
While most breweries created a version of the original stout recipe, NoDa Brewing in Charlotte tried something else.
“We decided to do a dark pilsner, which has a beautiful, dark color,” NoDa Brewing Tap Room manager Jamaar Valentine says. “But at the same time, it is much lighter and easier to enjoy for the summer.”
Valentine says breweries were encouraged to donate to nonprofits that fight racism. He says NoDa Brewing donated $10,000 to Emancipate N.C.
“Along with the community, we realize that beer is about passion and we know that we are passionate about seeing change that needs to happen,” Valentine says.
Both breweries say they expect their batch of Black is Beautiful Beer to last for a few weeks, but they hope it’s not the end.
“What I would like to see happen is for it to more like a special release, maybe we release it every February for Black History Month,” Holt says.
Across North Carolina, 39 breweries are currently offering the Black is Beautiful beer. For a full list click here.
August 02, 2020 at 03:52AM
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Charlotte Breweries Release Black is Beautiful Beer - Spectrum News
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