Black-Owned Breweries in D.C. and MD
If you couldn’t already tell from the title, this post will focus solely on Black owned breweries in D.C. and Maryland. After doing some research, I found that there are only four in the area: Sankofa Beer Company (D.C.), Soul Mega Brewing (D.C.), Union Craft Brewing (MD), and Patuxent Brewing Co. (MD), and I will be covering all four of them! With the recent murder of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, many others, and the ensuing protests, I thought it would be a good idea to support locally Black owned breweries and give them a little extra light because that’s what they need right now. Yes, all breweries matter, but that’s not the point and if you use that as an argument to not change your immoral views on humanity, you’re a terrible person - I’m no longer shying away from this. It’s time to get loud. Black people have been systematically oppressed in so many ways: our militarized police force targets them, our legislators prevent them from voting, redlining has ruined their educational resources, and employers deny them opportunities. It’s been going on for far too long, and I, myself, have been blind to these issues, and it’s time to partake in the movement. Over the past couple weeks I’ve been reading, listening, and educating myself on the aforementioned issues, and I’ve been donating to various organizations that support the BLM movement. I like to keep in mind that something will always be better than nothing, and I think that’s important to realize. I approach my professional career this way, and I approach personal growth this way because this is a marathon, not a sprint. A little bit every day goes a long way, and we can all create so much change with this mentality. Now without further adieu, let’s get to the beer! Co
Sankofa Beer Company
Founders: Kofi Meroe and Amado Carsky
“In order for you to ensure a strong and prosperous future, in order for you to get where you’re supposed to be, you have to know your history, you have to know your past” - Kofi Meroe on what Sankofa means. The Akan people of Ghana represent this word with a bird reaching for an egg on its back, as it expresses the importance of reaching back to knowledge gained in the past and bringing it into the present. This allows one to make positive progress.The egg, in this case, has been cleverly changed to a hop cone because, ya know, beer. Kofi Meroe and Amado Carsky, the two ambitious, community oriented brewers are attempting to bring their West African culture to the United States in order to reimagine the craft beer game. Craft beer is evolving quite rapidly, so it makes sense that they’d want to join in on the adventure with their creative and worldly ideas. They currently only have one beer available to purchase and that’s the Hypebiscus Pale Ale.
Hypebiscus - Hibiscus Pale Ale
First sip: Floral! That’s pretty much all I’m getting out of it (outside of the other traditional flavors of a pale ale), so it’s living up to its name! One might say that it’s living up to the hype. I should do stand-up. I expected it to be a little fruitier/sweeter, but the fact that it isn’t makes it more intriguing to me. I wouldn’t say this beer is revolutionary, but it certainly shows their creativity with beer!
Soul Mega Brewing
Founders: Elliott Johnson and Jahi Wartts
From the Soul Mega Website: “Our mission is to be recognized in the craft beer industry for our stylistically un-styled craft beer offerings and to create a culture that embraces creativity and inclusion. Soul Mega literally means “the embodiment of something great.” It represents our vision for this company and our belief that our dream will manifest much larger than we can presently imagine. The name Soul Mega serves as a reminder to the limitless potential of the human spirit.” Whereas Jahi’s favorite brew isn’t listed, Elliott leans more towards IPAs and Porters...my kinda guy! Big fan of porters, and I hope I’m a fan of this Pale Ale!
Worldwide - American Pale Ale
First sip: Just the right amount of spice in this! Followed directly by the sweetness of the fruit. Crisp and refreshing. I think it’s a great twist on a classic pale ale, and I can’t wait to see what these guys come up with next. All around solid take on a pale ale! Shared this with Raza, who is again making an appearance on my blog, and he enjoyed it as well!
Union Craft Brewing
Founders: Kevin Blodger, Adam Benesch, and John Zerivitz
Kevin Blodger’s favorite Union Beer is Balt Alt, and his favorite thing about working there is getting to “brew the greatest beverage in the history of the world”. Couldn’t agree more, Kevin, I couldn’t agree more. John Zerivitz’s favorite Union Beer is Rye Baby IPA, and his least favorite part about working there is having to resist the temptation to sit around and drink all day. If I were the co-founder of a brewery, I probably would give in to the temptation every. single. day. Adam Benesch’s favorite Union Beer is Double Duckpin and though he is “livin the dream” because he’s been so obsessed with beer for so long, his car is starting to overflow with empty growlers...I bet he’s gotta take sharp turns carefully so that his car doesn’t turn into the inside of a Saw 3D trap. All in all these guys sound like a fun crowd, and I’m happy to support their work.
Snow Pants - Oatmeal Stout
First Sip: Bit more bitter than I expected, but I like it. It’s burnt, and it’s a charming mix of that sensation, chocolate, and oats. Like having unflavored oatmeal as a kid whenever we ran out of those brown cinnamon sugar Quaker oatmeal packets. Man those were the best. Anyways, love this, and I am surely gonna be frugal with the other 5 (especially considering the drive I took to pick this stuff up!).
Steady Eddie - Wheat IPA
First sip: Honestly confused. The best I can come up with is hoppy and soapy. Almost like it has cilantro in it, which is probably why it feels so confusing. As I kept drinking it grew on me, but I was surprised to see how difficult it was to figure out. Not a big fan of this one, but I absolutely love the can art!
Patuxent Brewing Company
Founder/Master brewer: Davie Feaster
Unfortunately, there isn’t much info on their website about their brewers. When I showed up to grab my 4-pack, they were all lovely people - I was met with big smiles and bigger hearts. It’s clear that all of them are fond of their craft and dedicated to creating a welcoming environment. Couldn’t appreciate that more.
Oops Too Many Hops - New England IPA
First sip: Bit maltier than expected but the hops follow in soon after, and there’s almost a sourness about it. Each sip maintained the same reaction - malt, hops, sour. I was expecting to be blown away by hops, and I’m kinda glad I wasn’t. The sourness is nice and refreshing on this toasty day in June. Sad I only have one left!
Big Oops Too Many Hops - American IPA
First sip: Malty as well! The hops are there more so than “Oops Too Many Hops”. I was anxiously expecting a hopsplosion, however I’m again struck with malt. It’s delicious, make no mistake, but I don’t think it lives up to the name. I think that’s pretty unfortunate. I’ve had a number of hoppy beers before, and I wouldn’t put this one up there because it’s not as forward about it. Both of these beers are more subtle on the hops, but their names indicate otherwise. Still sad I only have one of these left too.
All in all, I had some great beer, some long drives, and I was able to show my support to the Black-owned brewery community. I will continue to show my support in the future (but not all at once like I did for this special post because I drove like 250 miles in two days for just over a case of beer, which is bonkers) by actively seeking out their new brews. I hope you enjoyed today’s post, and I hope you take the time to find locally Black owned businesses and breweries to support. I also urge you to continue learning about racial issues as a whole. As I said earlier, this movement is a marathon, not a sprint. A lot has changed within a mere two weeks of protesting and awareness...imagine what could change if we keep this up! So let’s do it! Love you all and please stay safe :)
Donation links to BLM organizations**:
http://www.blacklivesmatterdmv.org/
**These are organizations that are still accepting donations and have been shown to properly use the donations they receive.
Black-Owned Breweries Nationwide:
Harlem Blue - New York, NY
Harlem Brewing Co. - New York, NY
Mack Brewing - Philadelphia, PA
Rhythm Brewing - New Haven, CT
Cajun Fire - New Orleans, LA
Dirtbag Ales - Hope Mills, NC
Spaceway - Rocky Mount, NC
Down Home Brewing - Atlanta, GA
Khonso Brewing - Atlanta, GA
Green Bench - St. Petersburg, FL
Weathered Souls - San Antonio, TX
Brazo Fuerte - Watertown, MA
White Lion - Springfield, MA
18th Street Brewery - Gary, IN
Black Frog - Holland, OH
ONE Fermentary and Taproom - Minneapolis, MN
Crowns and Hops - Inglewood, CA
Warcloud - Los Angeles, CA
Metier - Woodinville, WA