While plenty of people might associate craft beer with quenching one’s thirst, we associate craft beer with much more. A brewery is a community hub where friends and family gather and neighbors meet and exchange ideas; we share craft beer over the same tables as families share dinner. We share gifts and act splendidly and live as one. Today, we hope to take that energy and use BIFE to call upon breweries to be a beacon in their communities and help the craft beer industry tackle hunger.
For many non-white Brits, there seems to be minimal conflict in their emotions at this time. The strong chorus of voices in both the press and on social media highlighted the direct impact of colonialism that occurred during the Queen’s reign, the irreparable damage to millions of people enacted in the cause of the Empire, and the Queen’s quiet refusal to acknowledge that harm, never mind return stolen treasures and artifacts, or offer reparations, are a stark reminder of why, logically, I should be joining the call for a republic.
Here is a short recap of the panel discussion From Dream To Reality: Women Entrepreneurs Who Have Launched Their Own Beer Industry Businesses at CraftBeerCon 2022. With the input from the panelists, we discuss what further steps can be taken by both the beer industry and female and non-binary business owners and aspiring business owners to make the industry more welcoming and navigable for them.
Beer is Art is a project that engages South African youth in the booming craft beer industry in the country. The project is expansive in that it addresses several social issues: youth unemployment, youth alcoholism, and putting a new generation of South African brewers in conversation with other brewers around the globe.
There are genuinely amazing women-led, POC-led, LGTBQIAA–led craft breweries out there that we, as a non-profit, are dedicated to highlighting. Because for beer to indeed be for everyone, these contributions cannot go unnoticed. These brewery owners are doing their part, so we hope this helps do ours. So without further ado and in no particular order, here are nine Black women-owned craft breweries you can support today.
The German correlation has dropped from the Mexican Lager’s identity, and a commodity that descends from colonization is now a national treasure in Mexican culture. Beer isn’t the Native fermented beverage of Indigenous Mexico. But it is the modern association. And it just so happens to be a fantastic beverage for Mexico’s climate, cuisine, and people.
We’re all trying to cope with this world in whatever way we can. At the same time, it’s essential not to forget the context of alcohol, yes, even craft beer, as a drug. No matter how artisanal, no matter how meticulously crafted, or no matter how traditional, beer is still a substance we use to change our state of mind. So, why does alcohol escape the stigma of so many other drugs used for the same reason?
A summary of the “Scars Are Beautiful” campaign, for which Jess Mitchell of Kinship Brewing collaborated with 22 breweries in Iowa to brew a West Coast IPA. “It’s about the journey you go through after a double mastectomy and the large scars you receive. It’s a tough journey to go on but you are beautiful and so are your scars.”
The One and Four IPA by Third Space Brewing aims to raise funds to help combat and boost awareness of domestic violence. The name itself, One in Four, is derived from the shocking statistic that one-in-four women will encounter domestic violence in some form and at some point in their lives.
Now that Pride is winding down, it is imperative that we remember and raise a glass to the breweries and establishments that support LGBTQIAA2S+ year-round and recognize their never-ending effort in achieving inclusivity.
As we continue celebrating the intersections of craft beer and Pride, we’re humbled to help tell the story of one of the most historical and critical moments for beer and the LGTBQIAA2S+ community. A story that begins in 1969 at the Stone Wall Inn, a local gay bar in New York City’s Greenwich Village that endures to this day as a National Historic Landmark and the birthplace of the gay rights movement.
Breweries do more than make beer. They are neighborhood hubs where people come together to share good times and bad, particularly in small communities, much like cultural and religious centers. Being part of a community means stepping up when your community is in need, and this is what Bandera Brewery did in the wake of the horrific mass shooting in nearby Uvalde, Texas on May 24th, 2022, when 19 children and 2 adult teachers were sickeningly gunned down at Robb Elementary School.