4 Black-Owned Beer Brands For You to Know

Yesterday was National Beer Lovers Day. Beer is one of the oldest known and most enjoyed alcoholic beverages. Coming in closely behind water and tea, beer continues to dominate the adult beverage industry throughout the world. While most people have their go-to brands, we wanted to share a few Black-owned brands for you to check out the next time you think of picking up a pint.

18th Street Brewery

18th Street Brewery was founded as a home brewery by Drew Fox in 2010. After years of hands-on learning and exploration, 18th Street Brewery became official with the release of SINISTER DIPA in 2013. Shortly after the SINISTER release, we opened a 3,200 square foot brewpub in an old dry cleaner’s building in Gary, IN. Quickly outgrowing that space, we purchased a 32,000 square foot warehouse in Hammond, IN. Our Hammond location now houses our production, packaging, barrel program, a taproom and a full-service kitchen. Our original Gary, IN now houses a small 10-barrel open fermentation system, as well as a taproom, craft cocktail bar and kitchen. 

Rhythm Brewing Company

Rhythm Brewing company was launched in 2018 by Lady Lager herself. Alisa Bowens-Mercado is the first Black woman in Connecticut to own a brewery. Both of Alisa’s Grandmothers’ were beer drinkers, and on special occasions, they would drink, dance and engage in conversations about finding life's rhythm. With music, dance and beer being at the epicenter of her life, it was natural that she would put her mark on the beer industry.

Soul Mega

In 2017, two friends, Elliott and Jahi decided to open Soul Mega after years of homebrewing and started with a Worldwide Pale Ale. Soul Mega literally means “the embodiment of something great.” It represents their vision for the company and their belief that their dream will manifest much larger than they can presently imagine. The name Soul Mega serves as a reminder to the limitless potential of the human spirit.

Montclair Brewery

Leo and Denise are husband and wife and co-owners of the Montclair Brewery, a microbrewery and tasting room that was born from the desires of Leo to turn his passion of home brewing and hosting into a successful business. For about 13 years, Leo has been brewing batches of beer in his home and gifting bottles to friends and family. The business was established in 2014. After 3 years of planning, they secured a lease on their current building. After close to a year of construction they opened their doors in October 2018.