Fresh Fest so much more than a beer fest

I may have attended the most significant beer festival of the year last Saturday in Pittsburgh. I’m short of superlatives to adequately describe the super good vibe that Fresh Fest Beer Fest generated.

In this time of racial, gender, and ethnic difficulties, Fresh Fest was a breath of fresh air. It was a powerful demonstration of America the great nation — a nation made up of beer lovers of all colors, all genders, and all persuasions. Beer lovers who, when we come together, prove that the whole is indeed much greater than the sum of its parts.

Garrett Oliver commenting on what he found at Fresh Fest
“A beer festival that actually looked like America. Black folks, white folks, all kindsa folks, queer folks, straight folks, womenfolk, menfolk. Folk, folk…. Ran smooth…. Crazy beautiful vibes, zero negativity… Damn nice beers!” — quoted from a Twitter post

I couldn’t have said it better than Garrett Oliver did. Oliver is, of course, brewmaster at Brooklyn Brewery and one of the country’s foremost beer authorities and spokespersons. His attendance and participation at Fresh Fest was significant.

Today, for the craft beer industry to grow and realize its potential, it needs to expand far beyond the realm of white men and move to truly include, involve, and embrace people of color and of all genders. Fresh Fest is a beachhead in this movement. While we still have a long way to go, Fresh Fest demonstrates that a broadening of the craft beer market is indeed possible and is now picking up steam.

Fresh Fest celebration is inclusive, compelling

While Fresh Fest is first and foremost a Black beer festival designed to celebrate Black brewers, culture, music and art, it made room for all kinds of people like few events I’ve attended before. The whole Pittsburgh community seemed to embrace it. The 3,000 attendees made up the most diverse, warm and engaging crowd I’ve ever experienced at a craft beer fest. In addition to the 28 black-owned breweries from around the country, dozens of Pittsburgh-region breweries brought beer and about 50 of them produced special collaboration brews with Black artists, community leaders, and entrepreneurs. The enthusiasm the collaborators brought was tactile.

I’ve been visiting Pittsburgh off and on since my college days at West Virginia University (which sits about 70 miles south of the Burgh), and I’ve never been prouder of the city. Oh, I’ve cheered for the Steelers as Super Bowls champs; applauded Mario, Sidney, and the Pens for their Stanley Cups; and I’ll never forget the 1979 We are Family Pirates in the World Series. But never have I been more positively moved than I was at this beer festival.

Fresh Fest Beer Fest was the nation’s first Black craft beer festival when it held its inaugural event last summer. This year, coming back twice as large, the festival had all the necessary parts and the critical mass to really break through and make a bold statement. So many people wanted to be a part of it, and they were not disappointed.

Kudos to festival organizers Mike Potter and Day Bracey and lead hosts Black Brew Culture and Drinking Partners Podcast for putting together such an epic event. Folks, if you truly want to see the next big thing in American craft beer, get yourself to Fresh Fest 2020.

Some Black-owned breweries to visit

While we don’t yet have a Black-owned brewery in West Virginia, you can find several in the surrounding region and many more in other parts of the country. Here are a few that we enjoyed at the festival.

Harris Family Brewery • Pennsylvania

Timothy White, left, co-owner and brewer at Harris Family Brewery in Harrisburg, PA, says they are the first Black-owned brewery in Pennsylvania and should have their taproom open by early 2020. White sees Fresh Fest as a big statement for the country. The Harrishire Applewood Smoked Stout they brought was a collaboration between them and Boneshire Brew Works.

Black Frog Brewery • Ohio

Christopher Harris runs Black Frog Brewery in Holland, Ohio (near Toledo).. “Beer has no color,” he says. “Beer is colorblind.” He brought two fun beers with him: Biggie Juicy, a juicy pale ale from his hip hop series, and Nubian Queen, a S’mores coffee stout.

Alematic Artisan Ales • OHIO

Alematic Artisan Ales is from the Dayton, Ohio area. They combine their passion for craft beer with a love for hip hop music. Stop by their taproom, open Wednesdays through Sundays.

Dirt Bag Ales • North Carolina

Chris Godwin, of Pittsburgh, and Lynette Stewart, of Charleston, WV, sample some beer from Vernardo “Tito” Simmons-Valenzuela, head brewer at North Carolina’s Dirt Bag Ales. Located along I-95 near Fayetteville, NC, the brewery produces a variety of kegged and canned beer.

Spaceway Brewing • North Carolina

Spaceway Brewing Company from Rocky Mount, NC, certainly has some innovative, community-spirited folks. Head brewer & CEO Briana Brake, at left above, brought a nice, light Agent Seven Cream Ale and a brightly flavored Don Dada Cardamon Stout.

Union Craft Brewing • Maryland

Union Craft Brewing out of Baltimore is one the more established breweries. Brewery co-founder and Director of Brewing Operations Kevin Blodger, at center rear, was on hand to explain how he gets all those lovely flavors into his brews. Beer Unites! is the brewery’s tagline and its underlying business philosophy. They believe good beer brings good people together for good times—and good works.

Sankofa Beer Company • Washington DC

Washington, DC’s Sankofa Beer Company takes its inspiration from the brewing culture and history of West Africa and combines it with American craft beer styles. Seen above rinsing a glass, brewery co-founder Kofi Meroe was mostly raised in Ghana and Nigeria.

Soul Mega • Washington DC

Soul Mega is a brewery from Washington, DC. Their flagship Worldwide Pale Ale pays homage to its American and Belgian roots.

Montclair Brewery • New Jersey

Leopold and Denise Sawadogo, owners of Montclair Brewery in Montclair, NJ, combine their heritages to produce beer with great flavor. Leo says their Hibiscus Ale is inspired by both his native West Africa and his wife’s Jamaican heritage. Their Buzz Ale is a tribute to Montclair native Buzz Aldrin and the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing.

Weathered Souls Brewing • Texas

Marcus Baskerville operates Weathered Souls Brewing, San Antonio. They specialize in popular styles, such as Mexican lagers, hazy IPAs, West Coast IPAs, sours, and heavy adjunct stouts. Several years back, he and his brother started homebrewing and things just grew from there.

Rhythm Brewing • Connecticut

Rhythm Brewing Company is located in New Haven, CT. and was founded by professional Latin rhythm dancer Alisa Bowens-Mercado. Her Unfiltered Lager is a modern American-style lager flavored with South African hops.

Cajun Fire Brewing • Louisiana

Founder/brewer Jon Renthrope says Cajun Fire Brewing Company out of New Orleans uses lots of fresh Louisiana ingredients in its beer.

Crowns & Hops Brewing • California

Crowns & Hops Brewing Company, of Los Angeles, celebrates the music, fashion, and culture of black and brown communities together with world class beer. Celebrating culture is a theme that was repeated time and time again among the Black-owned breweries.

Harlem Brewery • New York

Harlem Brewery‘s pub is currently in development in New York City. Like many start-up breweries, they began by brewing their beer at other breweries. They currently have a popular IPA, Golden Ale, and Wit.

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Fresh Fest Beer Fest took place on August 10, 2019 at Nova Place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. #freshER