Craft beer is having a moment. It’s trendy, it’s tasty… but according to those who drink craft beer and work in the industry, there’s still something missing—diversity.
Those who produce and consume craft beer are mostly white, male, and middle class—in other words, white men with beards. However, Paul Jones, co-founder and managing director of the Manchester-based brewery Cloudwater Brew Co., believes that his “privilege ought to become a platform.”
As a long-time advocate of diversity, he believes that craft beer companies should use their positions of influence to push for greater inclusivity in the industry.
This is why Cloudwater has launched a collaboration project that gives all profits to four microbreweries owned and run by brewers from underrepresented communities. Rock Leopard and Eko Brewery are Black-owned while Good Karma is an alcohol-free brewery with Indian roots, and Queer Brewing is run by transgender and gay brewers.
Scottish brewery and leading craft beer company Brewdog are responsible for brewing the beers. These established breweries have access to a vast production capacity, while Cloudwater’s reputation helped secure the microbreweries a two-year, UK-wide deal with Tesco.
The pack of single-hopped IPA, called Beer With Big Ideas, retails at an affordable £10.
Queer Brewing founder Lily Waite is excited about the representation. “We can’t be 100 percent certain, but we’re pretty sure this is the first time the word ‘queer’ has graced the shelves of a major retailer,” she says. “The potential for representation is incredible.”
Source Image: Cloudwater Brew Co.
