Diverse Breweries Database
Listen to this article:
Some weeks back, a company called Teamraderie approached me about hosting beer tasting events (more on that at the end of the post). They expressed an interest in highlighting BIPOC and women-owned breweries in these tastings, an impulse I happily approved. Trouble is, there’s not a great resource that contains this info. I threw out a call on social media for names to plug into a quick-and-dirty Excel spreadsheet, and requested the Pink Boots Society to ask members to shoot me info as well. Before long it was turning into a database with many underrepresented owners and breweries: women, Black, Latino, Asian, LGBTQ, and Indigenous. I also quickly realized that these were interlocking groups, and so I started noting where identities intersected with other sheets.
What emerged is the first, embryonic version of a database I’d like to share—along with a request to add more names. One of the biggest barriers to success for any small brewery is attention, and that’s particularly true of underrepresented breweries. What I learned as I was compiling this list—currently 130+ breweries—is how many are quite new. They have come into the world not just at a moment of unprecedented competition, but while having to deal with a year+ of Covid. My guess is that many people would love to support these breweries if they could find them, so I hope this can become one resource to facilitate that.
Below is the database, which will be continually updated. A few notes:
The breweries listed here are either owned by a member of an underrepresented group, or the brewhouse is headed by one. So for example, Brooklyn Brewery is listed under Black breweries because Garrett Oliver is the longtime master brewer. I focused on identifying only companies where the head of brewing operations is from an underrepresented group (whether that person is called a master brewer, head brewer, or some other name), and didn’t include those with assistant brewers. While it’s fantastic that breweries are now hiring a more diverse group of talent, this database is designed to highlight the leadership.
Each sheet is arranged by state for easy searching.
When a brewery’s leadership is a member of multiple groups, the additional identity is noted under “intersection.” Briana Brake owns Spaceway Brewing, for example, and is listed on both the women and Black pages.
Because “Asian” is an impossibly large category, I’ve tried to indicate a more precise background where I could find the information.
Recent polling shows that just 3% of Latinos refer to themselves as Latinx, a recent, academic designation, so I stuck with that name. Similarly, I used the “I” from BIPOC rather than other designations, like the “American Indian or Native Alaskan” the Census uses.
I’ve included the name of the brewer or owner where that information is publicly available (either on the website or in news stories). Not everyone wants to be in the limelight, and some may feel safer out of it. I want to bring attention to the fine people doing this work, but have no interest in outing anyone.
Below is the database.
About Teamraderie
A new company that has harnessed the power of the Zoom age, Teamraderie was developed so businesses could offer their staff a fun way to bond and have fun. They offer a range of subjects, and I will—no surprise—be a host for beer tastings. (Though if the call comes, I am prepared to chat about Buddhism, politics, roleplaying games, or Steph Curry’s jump shot.) If you think someone from your company would enjoy this, give them a look.
Although my work with Teamraderie inspired this database, it’s a standalone project unaffiliated with the company.