635 breweries worldwide join forces for Black is Beautiful collaboration

More than 600 independent breweries worldwide have signed up to a collaboration supporting the Black Lives Matter movement.

(Photo: KD Designs/Black is Beautiful)

635 breweries in all 50 states have pledged to create a stout with proceeds of their sales going towards organisations such as Black Lives Matter and the Know Your Rights Campaign.

The project was started by Weathered Souls Brewery in San Antonio, Texas, where 81 breweries are taking part.

Weathered Souls has created a base recipe for the stout, which can be accessed through a shared google file, but breweries are encouraged to add their own twist to the beer.

(Photo: KD Designs/Black is Beautiful)

Breweries have also been advised to use the label provided, although they are also welcome to add their own logos and take on the design.

Spearheaded by Marcus Baskerville, owner and head brewer of Weathered Souls Brewing, the initiative was launched in the wake of widespread protests after the death of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, last month.

Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets to demand justice for the death of George Floyd.

Floyd died in Minneapolis on Monday 25 May while handcuffed as now-fired police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck. Three other police officers at the scene looked on as Floyd, a black man, aged 42, suffocated.

The movement has brought to a head long-standing issues of police brutality disproportionally affecting black communities in the US, especially in Minneapolis. Some breweries in the state became drop-off points for essentials such as food and medical supplies for people caught up in clashes between protesters and police.

“As someone who has personally dealt with the abuse of power by the police, this recent turmoil the country is facing has hit home for me,” Baskerville, said on the campaign’s website.

“As I write this, I contemplate how the country can move forward, how we as the people, can create change, and what it will take for everyone to move forward with a common respect for one another. For us, we feel that this is our contribution to a step.”

Although the campaign started in Texas, the international brewing community has also pledged support.

Brewdog, headquartered in Aberdeenshire, Scotland; Manchester brewery Cloudwater, London-based Forest Road Brewing Co,Tokyo’s Devil Craft Brewing, and Half Baked Brewing Collective in the Philippines are among dozens of other companies outside of the US creating their own stout to raise funds for causes such as Black Lives Matter and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

The participating brewers are being asked to donate the beer’s proceeds to a relevant organisation of the brewery’s choice, as well as commit to long-term work toward racial equality.

Baskerville said: “if your favourite brewery hasn’t yet signed on, shout us out and tag them with the #BlackIsBeautifulBeer. We appreciate you for supporting our cause and can’t wait for everyone to get a taste of all the variations of Black is Beautiful.”

You can find out more about the campaign, and sign up, here.