3 Twin Cities brewers aim to raise awareness of craft beer industry in Black community

Craft beer, men's mental health and the culture of policing in America. They are subjects of a conversation between friends you might expect to hear at a bar, buddy's house or barbershop. But every couple of weeks, over craft beers in the podcast studio of a St. Paul liquor store, those discussions flow over microphones.

The Dabbler Depot is an apt home for "The Black Brewers Podcast," a show about the craft beer industry and Black culture, hosted by three Black brewers. Greg Davenport, Anthony Jennings and Phillip Owens each bring their own take to a slate of industry pods.

The show focuses on changing perceptions of people of color in craft beer, and aims to change the perception people of color hold about craft beer. The podcast is in its third season and second year, and streams through On Site Public Media, a Black-owned local media outlet.

"I always say it's a variety show built on our love for beer," Jennings said.

While filming a podcast episode this week, the hosts sipped on sours, including one called Frequency Shift that they created in collaboration with Arbeiter Brewing Co. for Black History Month.

"We had our release party for Frequency Shift on Friday, and I will say it was the Blackest time I've ever seen in a brewery," Jennings said into the mic this week, thanking family and friends for coming out.

The hosts discussed sour beers, music and movies. Tough topics came up too: recovery from the pandemic, and the Memphis police killing of Tyre Nichols.

"Hopefully, people that watch or listen to the podcast will then have a better perspective on that, no matter who they are," Davenport said.

The trio aims to bring more awareness of the industry to the Black community. There are just 14 Black-owned breweries out of 9,500 in the U.S., Davenport said, and only one in Minnesota. About 4% of Black Americans drink craft beer, according to the national Brewers Association.

Davenport was inspired by Ramsey Louder, the first Black person to co-own a brewery in Minneapolis. One Fermentary closed indefinitely in 2020.

"I remember being at the bar and seeing him. ... I had never seen a Black person working at a brewery before. It just kind of clicked and I was like, well, that's what I want to do," Davenport said.

Shortly after the friends met, they began brainstorming ways they could create something together. Davenport and Owens met working at Dangerous Man Brewing Company. Jennings, who works at Arbeiter, connected with them through Brewing Change Collaborative, a diversity and equity craft beverage organization.

"I never knew Black people worked in the industry until I met y'all," Jennings told his co-hosts. "It was kind of eye opening, like, oh, I'm not the only person that likes beer that's Black, or that's ostracized by other Black people for liking craft beer."

The explosion of podcasting over the last few years and the flexibility that allows people to listen or watch on YouTube drew the friends to it. Jennings did a podcast on radio in the mid-2000s, and especially wanted to get back to it. They went online and couldn't find an informational, cultural podcast about beer from a Black perspective.

The hosts talk about the state's beer community and how it still has a ways to go toward equity and inclusion. But Davenport said he has seen an uptick of people of color, women and LGBTQ brewers over the last five years.

"The word's getting out, people are starting to open their ears and be curious and open to that," Owens said of the industry, which continues to grow.

More breweries selling craft beer in diverse neighborhoods could help, Jennings said.

Their hope is that the podcast can help further conversations about diversity in the craft beer industry that will lead to more innovation and creativity, such as featuring unique flavors in their beer, like baobab fruit and persimmon. In the future, they hope to be able to highlight Black breweries around the country, Owens said.

"My mom hated beer, she couldn't go for that. But I'll tell you what, she liked our beer," Owens said. "There is something for everybody."