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Two of the UK’s most successful craft beer breweries are raising a glass to diversity in the industry, gifting four-pack earnings to Black, Asian and LGBTQ + brewers.
Two of the UK’s most successful craft beer breweries are raising a glass to diversity in the industry, gifting four-pack earnings to Black, Asian and LGBTQ + brewers.
Craft beer has come a long way in the last decade, tiptoeing from dark watering holes to a foothold in the mainstream. It is fashionable. It is tasty. They are two fingers to the dominance of the ‘big beer’ of global corporations.
However, many of those who work or drink craft beer would say it has a diversity problem: At both the consumer and producer level, the demographic is primarily white, male, and middle-class. Or, to put it another way, white guys with beards.
Paul Jones, Co-Founder and Managing Director of the Manchester-based Brewery Cloudwater Brew CoHe’s long been a vocal advocate for diversity, and now he’s putting his money where his mouth is.
“It has become a mantra for me that our privilege must become a platform,” he said. “If we use our wonderful and highly praised position in the industry just to promote ourselves and the interests of our own company, that seems like a bit of a low goal, and I like nothing better than aiming really high.”
To that end, Cloudwater has launched a collaborative project handing over all proceeds to four microbreweries run by brewers from underrepresented communities. Rock Leopard and Eko Brewery are owned by blacks; Good Karma is a nonalcoholic brewery with Indian roots; and Queer Brewing is run by transgender and gay brewers.
Scottish Brewery and one of the leading craft beer companies, Brewdog will brew the beers. As the largest artisan producer in Europe, although one with own cultural problems, they have access to a vast production capacity. Cloudwater’s reputation has helped secure the four-can rank from a two-year UK-wide deal with Tesco. The single hop IPA pack is called Beer With Big Ideas and is reasonably priced at £ 10.
The Beer with Big Ideas range. Image: Cloudwater Brew Co.
“We can’t be 100% sure, but we’re pretty sure this is the first time the word ‘queer’ has appeared on the shelves of a major retailer,” said trans activist and Queer Brewing founder Lily Waite. “The potential for representation is incredible.”
The project has received criticism from some, who view the Cloudwater Tesco deal as selling off their artisan credentials. But Rock Leopard’s Stacey Ayeh responded: “Supermarkets are making room for craft beer on their shelves – who would you rather fill it with? Large corporations or authentic craft beer producers? Jones also said that to guard against the future of the threat of ‘great beer’, the craft must send a welcoming message to new audiences of drinkers. He noted the “immense outpouring of support” for the four Cloudwater collaborators since the launch.
Lily Waite, founder of Queer Brewing. Image: Queer Brewing
“Our media sometimes seem a bit mysterious or disconnected,” he said. But this package means that people can get right into the heart of craft beer modernization and expansion. If that doesn’t put the entire industry in a better position for years to come, I’ll be very surprised. “
Lead image: Cloudwater Brew Co.
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