On January 1, 1864, 16 months before the end of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. The proclamation said “all persons held as slaves” in rebellious states shall be “forever free.” This document didn’t free all slaves immediately. It didn’t include slaves in border states that remained in the Union, for example. But it did mean that as the Union Army moved south, more and more slaves were freed.
The Civil War ended on April 9, 1865, but it wasn’t until federal troops arrived in Galveston, TX, on June 19, 1865, that all slaves were freed. The next year, former slaves celebrated their freedom on the first Jubilee Day. Over time, Jubilee Day became Juneteenth and that celebration spread across the country. President Biden even made it a national holiday, proclaiming June 19, the Juneteenth Day of Observance.
One way to celebrate Juneteenth this year is with a beer from a black-owned brewery. According to the Brewer’s Association, of the 9,000 or so breweries in the United States, less than 1% are black-owned. In a craft beer industry that brought in $26 billion in 2021, diversity and inclusion are still playing catch up. Here are a few of the black-owned breweries that are changing the craft beer industry while making some amazing brews.
Celebrate Juneteenth With Beer From These Black-Owned Breweries
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1. Weathered Souls Brewing Co.
San Antonio, Texas
Marcus Baskerville opened Weathered Souls in 2016. He also created the Black is Beautiful collaborative beer project to “bring awareness to the injustices that many people of color face daily.” Weathered Souls provided a basic recipe to other breweries. If a brewery uses it, they donate 100 percent of proceeds to local charities and organizations that support social justice reform, equality, and inclusion. In response, 1,207 breweries across 50 states and 22 countries have joined.
Standout brew: Picture Me Rollin’ is an imperial stout that includes bitter, ruby, and Mexican chocolate.