Oak Park Brewing Co. wants to help to tell the stories of black-owned breweries. On September 21, they announced a national beer collaboration to celebrate the 51st anniversary of Peoples Beer, one of the nation’s first Black-owned breweries.

Brew Your Story is a collaboration of both professionals and homebrewers. It asks them to brew a beer to help tell their own story. While the recipes will be unique to each brewer, they will all use the same label artwork, by artist Milton Bowens. There are about 30 Black-owned breweries and Black homebrewers who have registered to take part in the collaboration. The participating breweries are located throughout 14 States and one in Costa Rica.

Brew Your Story beers will be released at participating locations beginning October 2, 2021. In addition, Oak Park Brewing Co. is hosting the inaugural Peoples Harvest Time Jubilee on October 2. This will be the first year, with the goal of making this an annual celebration. This year will feature five Northern California Black-owned breweries and their Brew Your Story beers.

(READ: 60+ Black-Owned Breweries to Support)

“Despite the continued growth of the craft beer industry, less than 1% of commercial brewers and brewery owners are Black,” said Rodg Little, Brewer of Oak Park Brewing Co. “By creating Brew Your Story, we hope to help recognize people of color in craft beer – both past and present – and create a platform for Black-owned breweries to grow their businesses.”

In 2020 Oak Park Brewing Company brought back the Peoples Beer brand in collaboration with Ted Mack II, the son of Theodore “Ted” Mack, who owned Peoples Beer. Ted Mack purchased the Oshkosh, Wisconsin-based brewery in 1970. The Peoples Beer was one of the first Black-owned breweries in the Country. The Brew Your Story is dedicated to Mack and the history he created. Oak Park Brewing Co. has brewed the Peoples Beer’s traditional recipe and will create new beers as part of the Peoples Beer collection.

Oak Park Brewing is doing its part in helping homebrewers take the leap to the pro level. They recently invited Denzel and Bookie of Brewing With Brothas to come brew with them. Brewing With Brothas’ hometown is East Palo Alto, California. They have set their sights on becoming the first microbrewery in East Palo Alto. They also want to bring the community together and provide a spot where people can gather to meet and break down barriers. These homebrewers got the chance to brew their signature beer, a Black Belgian Tripel (BB3), at Oak Park Brewing. Check out their Instagram page for videos showing all the brew day festivities.

Oak Park Brewing Co. is a Black-owned brewery located in the historic neighborhood of Oak Park in Sacramento, California. They are a brewery that takes pride in supporting the arts, brewing great beer and bringing the community together over a tasty pint of beer.

Banner and can photos courtesy of Oak Park Brewing Co.

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