Columbus breweries supporting black causes

Written by on June 7, 2020 in Beer - 1 Comment

A flood of black squares in your social media feeds earlier this week might have given the impression that a majority of local businesses were supporting the protests happening in downtown Columbus and globally in support of the black lives matter movement. But more than a week into daily protests that have forced a national conversation on the injustices faced by black Americans, only about half of Central Ohio’s 50+ craft breweries have expressed any form of public support; fewer still have managed to move beyond the black square to take action.

For those who are inclined to spend their dollars at businesses whose values align with their own, below is a list of Central Ohio breweries that have made a public financial commitment to support organizations committed to fighting decades of systemic racial inequality and police brutality.

Note: There are no black-owned breweries in Central Ohio.

Wolf’s Ridge Brewing

What they’re saying: “Just outside our doors, a diverse community gathered in expression of pain, anger and unity over the egregious, intolerable treatment of black Americans. We will not stay silent, we will not shy away from action anymore. WRB stands in solidarity. Black lives matter.”

What they’re doing: Wolf’s Ridge has announced a $1,000 donation to Black Lives Matter. They have also pledged to donate $1 for every six-pack of beer sold at their taproom from June 1 through June 7 to select Central Ohio charities who support the local black community, and have pledged to donate a sandwich to feed protestors for every sandwich purchased June 5 through June 7.

Rockmill Brewery

What they’re saying: “Members of our team are committed to… listen, to learn, and to support not only our community here in Columbus but communities that are standing up against injustice throughout the nation. We know this is just the beginning of what is a life long work to create a world where every voice is heard. ”

What they’re doing: Rockmill has pledged to donate $5 from every growler they sell to the Your Rights Camp, an organization that works to empower the next generation of black and brown leaders.

Pretentious Barrel House

What they’re saying: “We here at Pretentious Barrel House stand firmly against injustice and racism and will be donating money to the Columbus Freedom Fund and Black Lives Matter Inc. to help fight systemic racism. ”

What they’re doing: Pretentious has pledged $250 to the Columbus Freedom Fund plus an additional $1 for every bottle, growler and howler sold from June 3 through June 19.

Parsons North Brewery

What they’re saying: “Staying silent is not what this country is about. Speaking out against injustice is our civic and human duty. Too long have people of color been sidelined because of systemic problems… What does it say about us if we allow the death of someone for something so trivial? We stand with the protestors and empathize with their anger.”

What they’re doing: Parsons North has pledged to donate $1 from all pints sold this week divided among the Columbus Freedom Fund and Community Development for ALL People.

Gemüt Biergarten

What they’re saying: “A brewery isn’t worth much without the community it serves, and we will raise our voices for the safety and human rights of our neighbors… In the long term, we are committed to guarding the rights of our most vulnerable friends, family, and neighbors by advocating for law enforcement reform in our community.”

What they’re doing: Gemüt has pledged to donate $1 per beer and $5 per t-shirt sold over the next week to NAACP Columbus and the Columbus Freedom Fund.

Seventh Son Brewing

What they’re saying: “We’re proud to stand with our community as signees of this City Council resolution that declares racism to be a public health crisis. Seventh Son and it’s employees fully support the movement for equality and strongly believe all #blacklivesmatter”

What they’re doing: Seventh Son is donating $1 from every draft pour and every six pack sold to the Columbus Freedom Fund.

BrewDog

What they’re saying: “As communities hurt and fight for social justice, we are committed to taking a stand against racism, bigotry and oppression. We’re challenging ourselves on what we can do differently & what we must do better.”

What they’re doing: BrewDog pledged to donate one day of business revenue to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and The Marshall Project.

“Black is Beautiful”

Black is Beautiful is an initiative started by Weathered Souls brewery in Texas to bring awareness to the injustices that people of color face daily. The call to action is to brew the “Black is Beautiful” Imperial Stout and donate 100% of the beer’s proceeds to local foundations that support police brutality reform and legal defenses for those who have been wronged. So far 249 breweries have committed to brew the beer, including DankHouse Brewing, Land-Grant Brewing and Hoof Hearted Brewing locally — Land-Grant will be donating their proceeds to Mozaic, a community building initiative for gender non-conforming people of color. Hoof Hearted is supporting the Columbus chapter of the NAACP. DankHouse has yet to determine which charitable organization(s) they will be supporting. Other breweries interested in participating can get the beer’s recipe and sign up here.

About the Author

Cheryl Harrison. Editor of Drink Up Columbus. Co-Founder of the Columbus Ale Trail.

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