On Saturday, May 11, the Massachusetts Brewers Guild convenes experts on DEI and Boston history at the historic mansion in Roxbury.
(L to R) Brewery owners Luis Espinoza, Sarah Real, and Armando DeDona join beer historian Dr. Malcolm Purinton in conversation about diversity and beer history next month at the Shirley Eustis-House.
SINCE CRAFT BEER ASCENDED to the mainstream, the industry has struggled to diversify both its customer base and hiring pool. That’s despite rich brewing history in cultures and communities across the globe. The first event in the Black Brew Dialogues Brewing Up Diversity series from the Massachusetts Brewers Guild taps into the conversation — and shares a new beer.
The Mass Brewers Guild, Black Brew Dialogues, and the Shirley-Eustis House Association will host an exclusive beer tasting and conversation on Saturday, May 11, about increasing diversity in the beer scene. Three Massachusetts brewery owners and a local beer historian will discuss their backgrounds, how breweries can be more inclusive, and Boston’s beer history and the immigrant experiences that shaped it. The first in a series of events called Brewing Up Diversity, the talk and tasting takes place at the Shirley-Eustis House in Roxbury, a relic of the British Empire and slavery in New England.
"Creating the Brewing Up Diversity Series with MBG has allowed me to bring brewers of color together to share their experiences,” says Collin Knight, founder of Live Like a Local Boston food tours and Black Brew Dialogues, a craft beer travel show. “I am proud to bring the industry to Roxbury, where I grew up.” Plans are also in the works for future Brewing Up Diversity events in the summer and fall.
Taste Juntos, a unique collaboration
Sarah Real of Hot Plate Brewing Co. in Pittsfield; Luis Espinoza of Roundhead Brewing in Hyde Park; and Armando DeDona of Long Live Beerworks in Roxbury and Providence will take questions from Dr. Malcolm Purinton as well as from the audience. Guided tastings with the brewers and an opportunity to sample their beers will bookend the conversation.
Sarah Real and Luis Espinoza pose on Juntos brewday at Roundhead in Hyde Park. Photo by Mike Dell'Aquila
Attendees have the exclusive first taste of Juntos, an English-style Farmhouse Ale brewed for the occasion at Roundhead by Real and Espinoza. Collaborating was a special way for two Latinx-owned breweries in Massachusetts to connect, Real shared after the brewday.
“We really enjoyed the discussion about how our cultures and family histories have informed recipe design and the way we’ve been building our company cultures,” she said. “We came away feeling so much pride that we represent a growing community across the country” of Latinx-owned breweries.
Juntos will be available on draft and in cans to-go at the Roundhead taproom following the event.
Long Live Beerworks isn’t Latinx-owned, but DeDona says he’s “grateful” to be included in the conversation to highlight Long Live Roxbury’s approach to diverse taproom programming.
Leading by example
Beer history in Massachusetts is expansive, from indigenous ingredients brewed by Natives to the low-alcohol ales of colonial English settlers, pilsners of 19th century-German immigrants in Roxbury, and the hazy IPAs of today. Yet only 6% of Bay State breweries are owned by people of color. Black Brew Dialogues and the Massachusetts Brewers Guild are committed to providing a point of entry for BIPOC beer lovers to get involved in the craft beer scene.
Collin Knight visits Black-owned brewery White Lion in Springfield in the pilot episode of Black Brew Dialogues.
Of particular interest to folks in the beer industry, this event offers insight about how to increase your brewery's ability to reach diverse audiences from brewers who are already leading the charge to make the space more inclusive.
Business success in today’s marketplace depends on DEI; it’s been a priority of the Brewers Association for half a decade. “It will take the big picture of people to really move the needle,” Collin Knight said about the effort required to make beer more welcoming to all. “You got to figure out what's going to be your way to make an impact.”
See you there!
Tickets for Brewing Up Diversity at the Shirley-Eustis House are $35 and include unlimited beer tastings, snacks, and a seat in the Q&A audience. Mass Brewers Guild members receive a discount.
The Shirley-Eustis House is at 33 Shirley St., Roxbury. It’s accessible via the 41 and 15 MBTA bus lines and has plenty of on-street parking. With questions, please call 617-442-2275 or email programs@shirleyeustishouse.org.
About the Shirley-Eustis House Association
The Shirley-Eustis House Association exists to preserve, maintain and interpret the Shirley-Eustis House and grounds as a museum for the education and enjoyment of the public. The Association seeks to engage the broadest community in understanding the role of Shirley Place, since its construction as a Royal Governor’s mansion in 1747, as it reflects the beginning of our nation and the history of Roxbury and Boston. Central interpretive topics include the impact of British colonialism on our modern American society, 19th century immigration stories, and the history of Roxbury and Dorchester.
About Black Brew Dialogues
Black Brew Dialogues is a travel show for craft brew lovers with a big takeaway. Follow host Collin Knight as he travels Massachusetts and gets a behind-the-curtain, VIP tour of some of the state’s most popular breweries. Learn alongside Knight as watches the brewing process, hears their start-up story, meets the owners and brewers, and then has a candid conversation over a beer about that brewery’s diversity and inclusion efforts. Watch the episode right here.