Emily Krauser
Last updated Dec 13, 2020
Beer has been giving back lately.
First, there was the Resilience Butte County Proud IPA, the 2018 beer Sierra Nevada created to raise money for the Sierra Nevada Camp Fire Relief Fund, which ended up raising millions of dollars to help victims of the deadly Northern California fire that blazed the previous November. Then there was this summer’s All Together, Other Half’s IPA to support hospitality professionals amid the coronavirus pandemic, with a recipe that other breweries could use to create their own hazy or West Coast versions and donate part of the proceeds to the local charity of their choice, as long as it supported the bar and restaurant community.
Now, Black Is Beautiful is the latest beer being brewed for an important cause: to raise awareness to help fight the injustices faced by people of color on a daily basis and raise funds for police reform and legal defense funds. The project was created by Marcus Baskerville, the founder and head brewer of Weathered Souls Brewing in San Antonio, Texas, who decided on a high ABV stout to showcase different shades of black.
Brewers are encouraged to put their own spins on Baskerville’s open-source recipe, which helps drive the metaphor home, and it’s a truly delicious way to take a stand and show support for the Black Lives Matter movement.
The main goal is to raise awareness. Baskerville felt it was important to use his platform, especially as a Black business owner in an industry that has largely ignored or minimized people of color. “I was dealing with some of the frustrations that were going on with murders,” he told Forbes of what helped push him to create a collaborative beer. “Breonna Taylor, George Floyd. All of these situations that keep arising.”
More than 1,000 breweries in all 50 states, as well as 20 countries, have opted into the project, with 123 of them right here in California. While Weather Souls is raising money for Colin Kaepernick’s organization Know Your Rights Camp, each individual brewery is encouraged to choose a non-profit or cause of their choice, and Los Angeles County breweries are doing just that.
Hopped LA has all the info on which of our local breweries are making Black Is Beautiful, how they’ve tweaked the recipe, and what cause they’re donating to. In addition to those on the map, Crowns and Hops has put out a version that will benefit Black Lives Matter Los Angeles and the Anti Police-Terror Project (their taproom isn’t open yet), and a number of homebrewers have made versions as well.
Here’s to sippin’ on good beer for a good cause!
ABV: 11%
Their Version: An Imperial Stout aged one year in bourbon barrels. Thick, rich and bold with nuances of oaky vanilla and bitter dark chocolate.
Cause: 100% of the profits will be donated to the Okra Project, a collective that seeks to address the global crisis faced by Black transgender people through home-cooked, healthy, and culturally specific meals and resources.
Released: July 22
Availability: $10/16 oz. can
Venue
brewery
4019 Atlantic Ave, Long Beach, CA 90807 ABV: 10%
Their Version: Imperial Stout
Cause: 100% of the profits will be donated to Know Your Rights Camp and the National Black Food and Justice Alliance.
Released: July 15
Availability: 16 oz. cans and 32 oz. crowlers
Venue
brewery
110 E 22nd St, San Pedro, CA 90731 ABV: 10%
Their Version: A rich, moderately sweet stout with notes of dark chocolate and a roasty finish.
Cause: Proceeds will be donated to the NAACP.
Released: July 23
Availability: $14/6-pack
Venue
brewery
ABV: 7%
Their Version: A smooth, roasty, chocolatey stout.
Cause: not known
Released: July 30
Availability: $16/4-pack
Venue
brewery
3411 West El Segundo Blvd, Hawthorne, CA 90250 ABV: 10%
Their Version: An Imperial Stout consisting of a blend of Woodford Reserve-aged Parabola (30%), Heaven Hill-aged Velvet Merkin (15%), and a fresh imperial stout brewed at the Propagator (55%).
Cause: A donation will be made to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.
Released: July 24
Availability: $19.99/4-pack
Venue
brewery
ABV: 10%
Their Version: An Imperial Stout on Madagascar Vanilla Beans and Cacao with notes of roasted chocolate and caramel.
Cause: 100% of proceeds will be donated to Black Lives Matter LA and Know Your Rights Camp.
Released: August 24
Availability: $20/4-pack
Venue
brewery
2931 Gilroy St, Los Angeles, CA 90039 ABV: 10.5%
Their Version: Imperial stout that features coconut, cacao nibs, & chilis.
Cause: 100% of proceeds will be donated to ACLU of Southern California.
Released: September 18
Availability: $18/bottle
Venue
brewery
1220 N Spring St, Los Angeles, CA 90012 ABV: 10%
Their Version: An Imperial Stout brewed in collaboration with @beersagogo.
Cause: All proceeds Black Lives Matter Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Action Bail Fund.
Released: Aug. 7
Availability: $22/4-pack
Venue
brewery
2350 Sunrise Street, C-100, Los Angeles, CA 90023 ABV: 8%
Their Version: Smooth 8% Imperial Stout with notes of Baker’s chocolate, deep dark fruit, toasty bread crust, and a lingering finish.
Cause: Proceeds will be donated to Black Lives Matter Long Beach.
Released: July 30
Availability: $14/32oz crowler
Venue
brewery
3630 Atlantic Ave, Long Beach, CA 90807 ABV: 10%
Their Version: Imperial Stout with aromas of dark berry and chocolate and tastes of blonde coffee and more chocolate.
Cause: 100% of proceeds will go to the Los Angeles Urban League.
Released: August 30
Availability: $12/25oz shorty crowler
ABV: 10%
Their Version: A decadent and smooth fudgy Imperial Stout.
Cause: Proceeds will be donated to the Long Beach Gray Panthers and the CA Conference for Equality and Justice (CCEJ).
Released: July 12
Availability: $8.99/16 oz. can
Venue
brewery
ABV: 10%
Their Version: Imperial Stout w/Coconut and Cacao
Cause: Proceeds will be donated on a national level to Equal Justice Initiative and on a local level to Centinela Youth Services.
Released: July 10
Availability: Crowler-only at their taproom, but 4-packs still available at select beer retailers.
Venue
brewery
12918 Cerise Ave, Hawthorne, CA 90250 ABV: 10%
Their Version: Imperial Stout
Cause: 100% of the proceeds will be donated to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.
Released: July 3
Availability: Sold Out
Venue
brewery
ABV: 10%
Their Version: Imperial Stout brewed with coffee and cacao.
Cause: Proceeds will be donated to ACLU of Southern California.
Released: June 30
Availability: $20/4-pack
Venue
brewery
ABV: 10%
Their Version: Pastry Stout with Ugandan and Mexican Vanilla beans, Heart Roasters Ethiopia Gedeb coffee, and cinnamon.
Cause: All proceeds will be donated to Color of Change.
Released: July 15
Availability: $24/4-pack
Venue
brewery
864 Commercial Ave., San Gabriel, CA 91776 ABV: N/A
Their Version: N/A
Cause: N/A
Released: Late August
Availability: N/A
Venue
brewery
1700 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026 Coming Soon
Venue
brewery
1920 Colorado Ave, Suite C, Santa Monica, CA 90404 ABV: 7%
Their Version: Stout with notes of chocolate and sweet roasted malt and a smooth, delicate finish.
Cause: Donations will be made to Black Lives Matter Los Angeles and the People’s City Council.
Released: July 8
Availability: $16/4-pack
Venue
brewery
1901 Del Amo Boulevard #B, Torrance, CA 90501 ABV: 10.6%
Their Version: An imperial stout brewed with cacao nibs.
Cause: Proceeds will be donated to the ACLU of Southern California.
Released: Aug. 6
Availability: $16/4-pack
Venue
brewery
1031 W Manchester Blvd, Inglewood, CA 90301 ABV: 8.2%
Their Version: Imperial Stout
Cause: All proceeds will be donated to California Center for Equality and Justice.
Released: July 30
Availability: $8/can
Venue
brewery
3671 Industry Avenue, Lakewood, CA 90712 ABV: 10%
Their Version: Robust Coffee Imperial Stout
Cause: Black Lives Matter Long Beach and Know Your Rights Camp
Released: August 29
Availability: $16.99/4-pack
Venue
brewery
233 E Anaheim St, Long Beach, CA 90813 ABV: 10%
Their Version: Imperial Stout
Cause: Proceeds will be donated to the ACLU of Southern California.
Released: August 28
Availability: $20/4-pack
Venue
brewery
156 West Verdugo Ave, Burbank, CA 91502 Scheduled for release in late August.
Cause: Motivate the Future, a motivational assembly program that focuses on inspiring children and encouraging young people to speak out against bullying at school.
Venue
bar
For more on the Black Is Beautiful project and to find out which other breweries are participating in it, click here.
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