93. Okay, So Where *Can* We Go to Learn and Network with an Emphasis on Inclusivity?
Valuable craft beer industry events that center DEI improvement and values; plus the South Asian Beer Club's collaboration beer is pouring(!), and tarot for never-ending learning.
Places to Gather, Learn, and Network in Craft Beer—That Are Actually Inclusive
As we stood in the juxtaposition that was this year’s Craft Brewers Conference, excited to meet each other and motivated by what we were learning but disappointed and frustrated by different inclusivity failures and tone-deaf missteps, many of us had conversations that kept coming back to one point. We wished there was a way to take all the good meeting and learning without those failures and missteps. What other conferences were perhaps out there, providing spaces to network and access education, that also prioritized inclusivity and improving equity?
I keep coming back to the catchall “CBC alternatives,” but it’s not really that simple, is it? There are good things about CBC, and there are good people at the Brewers Association. I’m not comfortable telling people they should never go to CBC again. I’m not optimistic the BA will really take the note and meaningfully improve CBC, but I’m hopeful, so while I have no plans to attend again for the foreseeable future, I think it’s too soon to make any certain, sweeping statements. I also think there are still good reasons for people to attend CBC—what primarily comes to mind is that the people truly invested in DEI, who are in all different pockets of the country, can come together and have valuable conversations. (Pro tip I learned from some people I met this year: Just go where CBC is happening and attend the peripheral meet-ups and events!) And, I think it’s important for us to remember that there are many people in the industry who don’t have as much of a choice. Their jobs might essentially require them to regularly attend CBC.
So, I don’t love the black-and-white framing of “CBC alternatives” because not only does it write those people off, and not only does it write off what good might be found at that conference, but it also feels like it lets the BA off the hook. If we say, “Well, screw it, we just won’t go to CBC ever again,” CBC can just continue ignoring crucial issues because the people who were speaking out have left the building. All this is to say, those conversations made me realize I wanted to round up some other events that are meaningfully inclusive and have a real focus on improving DEI in this industry, while providing learning and networking platforms, but let’s not take our collective foot off the gas when it comes to speaking up and speaking out, demanding answers and demanding improvement from organizing bodies like the BA about major conferences like CBC, k?
Before I get into said round-up, too, I’d like to direct your attention over to Jeff Alworth’s recent Beervana entry, “The Brewers Association Responds to Questions About CBC.” I’m grateful to Jeff for making moves here and asking the BA these questions, and for putting this all in thoughtful context—there’s credit where credit is due, and the complicated nature of this whole situation is addressed, but there’s no denying that the BA’s answers are a lesson in…what’s the PR form of legalese? Publicitese? Personally, I found myself exasperated by the repetitive, “We welcome your feedback!” of it all. I mean, look, CBC just happened. So, I do remind myself to calm down a bit here, because any organization in the BA’s shoes would indeed still be very much in the listening stage. One would assume there would be weeks of collecting surveys and ratings and reviews and emails and digesting it, with many more weeks of figuring out what to do with it all and how to let it shape the path forward (that’s in good faith that that second stage actually occurs). But there’s just no accountability in these answers. There was even a doubling down on the justification of the “Privilege as Your Leadership Superpower” seminar.
Again, I am not optimistic, but I am hopeful, and for maybe the fourth time: it’s complicated. On that note, let’s get into…not CBC alternatives, per se, but highlighting other conferences an events toward which I very enthusiastically encourage you to direct your attention. Let’s think about other dates on the calendar throughout the year that could offer valuable meeting-and-learning opportunities, with inclusivity at the core.
I actually went into this round-up wanting to focus on more direct parallels to CBC. What were conference-type events geared toward members of the industry—in every sort of capacity—that emphasized education and networking? Less try-a-bunch-of-beer festival, more attend-seminars-and-classes-and-meet-like-minded-movers-and-shakers. But on this track, I came up with a whopping two. Two! Look, one could argue that one industry does not need dozens of conferences. But craft beer is at a crossroads. In terms of the business itself, the growth is gone and the industry’s flattening, maturing next stage brings with it an adapt-or-die imperative for breweries. There’s lots to learn for breweries who want to survive. And in terms of culture, well, an industry could simply not need more of a concerted effort, more learning opportunities, and more ways of motivated people coming together to problem-solve and innovate. So, I’d say that at least for the time being, we could use a handful more dedicated conferences.
The first conference that I know I’ll be focusing on next year rather than CBC, that actually excites me about the future of the industry, that motivates me with its inspired and effective programming, and that, even though I haven’t attended yet, I can wholeheartedly recommend: Crafted for Action. Jen Price founded this initiative and conference in 2020 as a response to craft beer’s inequities and inequalities, sexism and systemic racism. It takes place in Atlanta, and this year’s conference is June 14-17. It is also, very helpfully, a hybrid of virtual and in-person events. Some of the virtual conference seminars jumping out at me so far (the schedule is still being finalized for some) are: Inclusivity without Pandering: Digital Marketing Techniques Designed to Make Everyone Feel Welcome, with Julie Rhodes; School is Always in Session: Actively Integrating Beer Education in the Taproom, with LaTreace Harris; Turning the Beer Judging Tables: Strategies for an Inclusive Judging Environment, with Jen Blair; Bypassing the Brewhouse to Forge Your Path in the Craft Beer Industry, with Ashlie N. Randolph; Science By Any Memes Necessary, with Emily Wang; and Mental Health in the Beer Industry: 2023 Brewery Wellness Survey Highlights, with Katie Muggli.
There are a ton more seminars in-person, as well as events that sound like a blast—I already have FOMO, tbh. This programming is so thoughtful and impactful—it’s creative but logical, like, yes, this is what the industry needs! This is what can make it better, better for everyone. (Accordingly, this conference is accessible. There are all different ticket levels, bundles, and individual event tickets for in-person, plus the virtual option, and an opportunity to apply for the Crafted Fellows program which would cover attendance.)
I reached out to Crafted for Action speaker Jen Blair for some insight from someone so close to this conference.
“I've participated in the Crafted for Action conference since its inception three years ago. Prior to this year's CBC, I had already decided that I would not be participating in conferences that don't have the same kind of inclusivity (84% BIPOC panelists last year!) that Jen Price cultivates. I was slated to present at Homebrew Con in San Diego next month, which was going to be my last year participating in that as well for similar reasons. However, after CBC I resigned from the AHA Governing Committee and pulled out of presenting at Homebrew Con. Crafted for Action is my absolute favorite conference because it's organized for historically excluded communities and addresses topics that CBC doesn't, such as gaining financing outside of generational wealth or traditional bank loans. Looking at the topics and events Jen curates for Crafted for Action versus those curated by the BA, it's clear the target audiences for both. CFA also does a fantastic job of showcasing Atlanta and the Atlanta beer community, such as a group ride on the Atlanta Beltline Westside trail and beer and music pairings. Jen does all of this in addition to her full-time job. As you can tell, I am a big fan of hers!”
Next up, one I look forward to every year, which is also a hybrid virtual-and-irl event: Beer Culture Summit. The unveiling of the BCS lineup is like Christmas to me. I scroll through it on the edge of my seat—how does the variety of the seminars never cease to very pleasantly surprise? It’s so creative, with topics that range from “Why, yes, I’ve been wanting and needing to learn more about this!” to “Okay, I did not even know this was a thing, tell me everything.” It’s helpful, educational, informative, entertaining, and fun. Different historical deep dives, panels highlighting different underrepresented communities in craft beer, scientific explorations—this summit is always three days of truly vibrant programming. It’s visionary content from brilliant individuals, and you’ll walk away with new, better understanding of multiple subjects that will inform both your work and your interests. People are visibly excited to take part as both speakers and attendees, and I think the intention from the event itself to the unique enthusiasm around it has such power in driving positive momentum in this community.
I really admire historian Liz Garibay, founder of the Chicago Brewseum and its Beer Culture Summit (and member of the board for The Michael James Jackson Foundation for Brewing and Distilling!). I reached out to Liz for a little more background on the Brewseum and the Beer Culture Summit. The former is a “501c3 non-profit who has hosted exhibitions at world renowned places like the Field Museum in Chicago and the Pilchuck Glass School in Seattle. We’ve created programming around the world with significant cultural partners. Our team is made up of globally respected leaders and experts in their fields. We’ve been awarded significant grants from key funders like the Illinois Humanities Council and the Elizabeth Morse Charitable Trust.”
As for the Beer Culture Summit, which Liz adds was launched with support and in partnership with the Smithsonian National Museum of American History:
“I created the Beer Culture Summit after decades of attending academic conferences, museum conferences, and beer festivals/events. And while I appreciated learning things and meeting people, what I didn't appreciate was that the same information was always regurgitated to the same people year after year. The Summit was created to bring people in those three industries together, to have meaningful conversations about how beer is more than just a beverage, so I think the Beer Culture Summit is particularly special for that reason. Inclusivity, diversity, accessibility—all of those things have always been a part of the Summit and our organization as a whole—they’re not just buzz words we throw around to make us relevant, they are important issues that are ingrained in our DNA and I think the Beer Culture Summit is an excellent reflection of that mindset.
This year’s Beer Culture Summit will take place October 18-21, so save the dates! If at all possible, it’s worth getting to Chicago for the very special, very thoughtfully planned, very exciting events happening at night as part of the lineup.
There’s one extra conference I’ll mention here with a caveat of sorts—consider it an honorable mention, because we’re keeping an eye on how it progresses? The Women’s International Beer Summit fell short of all-encompassing, impactful inclusivity. But it’s moving forward as a reorganized, rerouted endeavor, called WIBS 23: A Craft Fermentation Summit. From the website: “While we will still be focused on celebrating and empowering women and non-binary individuals, we want to make sure we do that throughout the craft fermentation space, not just for beer. We are also inviting everyone to the table, regardless of how you identify. We believe that the information our speakers bring is key for anyone to hear and something everyone can benefit from. And, frankly, everyone needs a sense of community.” A lineup of digital seminars is being formed for this fall, so let’s all stay tuned and hopefully this will be one we can officially add to our lists for years to come.
And in terms of events to look forward to, it’s very exciting news that Jen Blair is currently in “very early stages” of developing a brand new conference that will take place during CBC next year, virtually. Its focus will be employee issues, Jen says, like “union-organizing and understanding union-busting tactics, NDAs, and lobbying local government.” Folks, this is a Very Good Thing. Education in these areas is direly needed in craft beer, and for it to come from a smart and dedicated advocate like Jen? Add this to your calendar now, right in that CBC slot. And, Jen is still open to ideas for seminar topics! Is there something you’d love to learn more about, or see get a bigger platform? I am not going to take it upon myself to tell people to flood Jen’s DMs, lolz, but stay tuned for updates and if you’re reading this and have an idea, comment or email me and I’ll pass it along.
I’ll end this with a general nudge in the direction of greater festivals and events, too. Some fests do a great job of meaningfully raising up and celebrating diversity, representation, and visibility, with the added benefit of reaching outside the industry to inform and welcome members of the general beer-drinking public. I had also reached out to Beth Demmon for any recommendations for this issue, and she included Barrel & Flow—I think Day Bracey’s Pittsburgh-based festival featuring Black-owned breweries has really blazed a trail for what beer festivals can do, and what they should be doing. (The world does not need another festival with no greater purpose than “how much beer can you chug in two hours?”!) This year’s fest will take place on August 12. Beth also mentioned festivals with good, thoughtful codes of conduct and reporting systems, like the Festival of Wood & Barrel-Aged Beer. This feels like a good time to point you back to the four-part festival safety guide Ash Eliot and I created back in 2021, that is just as relevant today.
I’m definitely not done covering this topic—for one thing, Beth also recommended some events outside of beer, so a wine and spirits/more general round-up could be in the works for a future issue—so if I missed any or if you know of any new or under-the-radar events, please let me know!
The South Asian Beer Club’s Collaboration Is Officially Pouring
Ruvani de Silva shines a much needed, well deserved spotlight on South Asian beer-makers with her writing, meaningfully contributing to visibility, representation, and inclusion. But Ruvani doesn’t stop there, having formed the South Asian Beer Club, a platform celebrating all South Asian beer community members. And this club has got some very exciting news.
The South Asian Beer Club has collaborated with the (aforementioned!) Chicago Brewseum on the Subcontinental Jackfruit Lager. Per a press release on the collab, this project was born out of Ruvani’s 2021 Beer Culture Summit panel, “Where Are All the South Asians in Beer?”, the first United States beer event panel consisting wholly of beer pros of South Asian heritage. Ruvani and Brewseum founder Liz Garibay wanted to develop a collaboration beer in order to bring South Asian brewers in the US together and amplify their valuable contribution to American craft beer. The breweries that worked on this jackfruit lager are Roughhouse Brewing in San Marcos, Texas; Misfit Outpost in Cypress, Texas; Windmills USA in Dallas; and Azadi Brewing in Chicago. Subcontinental Jackfruit Lager launched on May 20 in time for AAPI Heritage Month.
This press release also included some interesting background on jackfruit:
“Jackfruit is a culturally significant fruit across South Asia, where it is eaten ripe and unripe, curried and often used as a meat replacement due to its thick, chewy flesh. The plant’s fruit, leaves and bark also feature in traditional medicine, and wood from the jackfruit tree is used in certain Hindu and Buddhist ceremonies. It is also the national fruit of Bangladesh and the state fruit of the Indian states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Pairing jackfruit with a lager, the most popular beer style consumed in South Asia, came about through close collaboration between the four breweries, and extensive discussion on ways to make a beer that captured a specific South Asian flavor that would be new to some drinkers in a fashion that would be both approachable and exciting.”
True to the spirit of awareness-raising, platform-giving, and education that both the South Asian Beer Club and the Chicago Brewseum share, cans of the lager have a QR code that will take consumers to the Brewseum site for more info about that the project. Keep an eye on the South Asian Beer Club’s Instagram and Twitter for more info!
By the way…
I’m sure by now you’ve heard the devastating news about Alex Kidd, aka dontdrinkbeers, and his recent cancer diagnosis. If you can, please donate to the GoFundMe to help his family with medical bills and expenses. And if you can’t, or, additionally, share this, send Alex supportive messages.
Beer Tarot!
This week, I pulled the Page of Pentacles.
Pentacles is the suit of money, property, and achievement, and the Page of Pentacles is about manifesting the good that can come from those areas—you’re forming new skill sets, polishing your talents, and being rewarded with financial and creative opportunities. Because of the messages of developing new skills and being presented with new opportunities, this card is associated with beginnings. You’re perhaps starting a new job, a new project, a new initiative, a new path to a new goal, a new class—it’s a new stage, basically, and it’s one with all kinds of good promises. There is creative and personal fulfillment to be had, but because we’re talking about Pentacles here, there is also some level of material gain here. That new job or project or thing you’re learning stands to bring you more money and/or more security and comfort.
So, obviously, this is exciting, but of course there’s a catch. The Page of Pentacles emphasizes that all those rewards will only actually come forth from this new stage through your hard work. There’s no magic here. Yes, be happy, but don’t get too distracted and take your eye off the ball before you get to that payoff. The Page has major educational energy (on brand for this week’s issue!) so you should always be open to learning. Learn everything that you can. Think something’s outside your job description? Learn it anyway. Learn what that person’s doing over there, and what this person’s doing here. Learn how you can do what you do better. Learn the how’s and the why’s—don’t rest on your laurels and assume you’ve got this. Even when you feel like a pro, keep learning, as this will not only fulfill you personally, but will get you to that appealing creative-and-financial reward part.
There are a number of ways we can interpret this when it comes to beer. For one, don’t stop learning when it comes to ways you can help improve this industry and community. Go to these events! Have conversations! Read, read everything! For another, you can keep learning about beer itself. Enroll in Natalya Watson’s Virtual Beer School, check out Chris Cohen’s Beer Scholar study guides for the Cicerone, dive into Joanne Love’s Love Beer Learning—I could write an entire issue on educational resources and books and podcasts (not a bad idea, actually). And, you can drink Book Learning, a double IPA from Bissell Brothers and Sapwood Cellars, “that exemplifies the focused tinkering spirit of both breweries. Hopped with Riwaka, Callista, and a touch of Vic Secret, then fermented with an experimental yeast strain from Omega Yeast, this is the culmination of many years’ worth of book learnin’.”
This Week’s Boozy Media Rec
Whether you’ve fully caught up on takeaways from this year’s Craft Brewers Conference or not, the latest issue of Stephanie Grant’s newsletter The Share is essential reading. With much care and insight, Stephanie breaks down the highs and lows of the conference—unpacking those lows and where they come from, who and what they impact, and why they matter, along with the call to action to move this industry onward and upward from here. If you talk to anyone who’s unclear on the situation, forward them this issue from Stephanie.
Ex-BEER-ience of the Week
We made a much anticipated trip up to Lasting Joy Brewery in Tivoli, New York this weekend and I can safely declare it was worth the wait—though, I certainly don’t want to wait too long to return! The space is just lovely, there’s no better word to describe it. The brewery and taproom sit on sprawling green land, so the space as a whole is welcoming and bucolic, yet it’s also quite striking in how stylish it is—the taproom is bright, airy, and quite minimalist-chic. But you want to hear about the beer, right? Lasting Joy boasts the kind of beer menu I wish every brewery had—but that I don’t think every brewery can necessarily pull off—which is well-curated and eclectic, featuring a pitch-perfect example representing nearly every major style group. A hazy IPA, a straightforward Berliner weisse, a cherry saison, a Czech pilsner, a Vienna lager, a kölsch, a beet stout(!), a mint stout(!), a brown ale…different and ranging from fresh to time-honored, all bound together by the use of almost exclusively New York state ingredients (there’s barley being grown right on-site!). If you haven’t been yet, Lasting Joy is a brewery worth planning an entire upstate trip around.
No newsletter next week, as I’m headed back to Mexico City(!); until next time, have a lovely holiday weekend and here’s Darby communing with nature on a pre-Lasting Joy hike.
