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As the Black Lives Matter protests in response to the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others have made apparent, there is still much work to be done in the name of equality and diversity in this country. The craft brewing industry is not exempt, though this summer has seen many breweries joining in an effort to support people of color and raise awareness of social justice issues.

It started when Weathered Souls Brewing Company of San Antonio, Texas, launched Black is Beautiful, both a beer and a movement. The mission statement says, “The Black is Beautiful initiative is a collaborative effort amongst the brewing community and its customers, in an attempt to bring awareness to the injustices that many people of color face daily. Our mission is to bridge the gap that’s been around for ages and provide a platform to show that the brewing community is an inclusive place for everyone of any color.”

As with many efforts originating in the brewing industry, it starts with a beer. Weathered Souls brewed a stout, befitting the name of the movement, and made the recipe freely available along with label artwork for others to follow. It donated proceeds from the sales of the beer to the Know Your Rights Campaign and asked participating breweries to donate to local foundations that support police brutality reform.

The brewery encouraged others to embrace creativity and put their own spins on the beer, and at the time of this writing, over 1,000 breweries have brewed or committed to brew versions of Black is Beautiful, including 36 in Oregon.

Locally, a half dozen breweries have joined the movement: 10 Barrel Brewing Company, Boneyard Beer Company, Crux Fermentation Project, Worthy Brewing Company and The Ale Apothecary with Deschutes Brewery.

10 Barrel’s Black is Beautiful Stout was brewed in Portland by the Portland Pub’s head brewer, Whitney Burnside, and is on tap at the company’s east- and west -side locations. The description reads, “We took the base stout used to make our pub favorite Glen Coco coconut stout and let its chocolatey profile shine on its own!” It’s an easy-drinking stout with 6.2% alcohol by volume (ABV) and 25 IBUs. 10 Barrel is donating the proceeds to the Equal Justice Initiative.

Crux went in a different direction with the recipe and created a black IPA for its Black is Beautiful beer. “We had to move extremely fast to address this important social issue,” said brewmaster Larry Sidor. “The direction we received was that it was to be a dark beer as in a stout. We thought a Black IPA or Cascadian Dark Ale would be a better fit for the season. Since Cam and I have a bit of experience with brewing Black IPAs, we rolled up our sleeves and went to work.”

An ale with the color of a stout but the hopping of an IPA, it highlights Bravo, Cascade, Centennial and Simcoe hops for a classic West Coast IPA profile. It’s 6.3% ABV and 60 IBUs and is available both on draft and in cans. Crux is supporting the NAACP Portland Chapter with the sales.

Worthy stayed close to Weathered Souls’ original recipe, brewing an imperial stout to 8.5% ABV. The beer is available on draft at Worthy’s pub as well as the downtown Taps & Tacos location. The brewery is donating the proceeds to Embrace Bend.

Boneyard has not brewed its Black is Beautiful stout yet, but plans to in September for an October release. “Personally, I’m interested in imperial (stout) at the bottom end of the ABV range, at about 9%,” said owner Tony Lawrence via email. “Adjuncts welcome for me; nuts, vanilla, cinnamon, maybe lactose. Think graham crackers.”

The brewery has not yet selected a partner to benefit from the sales but promises it will be an Oregon beneficiary.

The Ale Apothecary partnered with Deschutes Brewery and Oregon Spirits Distillers for a Black is Beautiful collaboration. Paul Arney was joined by Deschutes’ Veronica Vega and Kyle Matthias to craft an imperial stout brewed with molasses and licorice which will be about 11% ABV when finished. The beer is “Fermenting … in a fresh wine puncheon prior to aging in Oregon Spirit whiskey barrels,” according to Arney.

It’s a longer-term project and could be up to a year before being released. The beneficiary will be Coalition for Communities of Color.

These breweries are doing important work to help support the BIPOC community, but there is still work to be done. You can join this effort with your purchase of Black is Beautiful; find out more online at blackisbeautiful.beer, including an up-to-date list of all participating breweries.

1. A Hazy Day in Brussels — Monkless Belgian Ales

2. Bend Don’t Break Hazy IPA — Immersion Brewing

3. Bangarang Prickly Pear Sour — Silver Moon Brewing

4. Trade War Export Stout — Bend Brewing

5. Oblivious Blonde — Oblivion Brewing