The Gift that Kept on Brewing

It appears that humans have always had a predilection for drinking beer. It has always been considered a divine, intoxicating substance that was imbibed for reasons stretching from medicinal usages to sheer recreation. No one area of the world or Ancient civilization can boast to have invented the substance, yet where ever one found agricultural practices that involved grain production, there would have been the ability to discover the process required ferment beer. Ancient beer didn’t use hops but instead was probably a product of grains fermenting overtime and then being exposed to natural yeasts in the air. In fact, one interesting factoid to consider is that the first brewers, particularly in Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt, are thought to have been women. What societal phenomena led to brewing becoming a female-dominated area are unknown. However, as time moved forward, Medieval European monasteries began brewing their own beer for mass consumption and created the Western style of artisanal beers. The Monks, who tweaked the process, undoubtedly were males and their expertise was passed on to exclusively men. From here, there was a massive proliferation of new styles and methods being invented, influencing the cultures of various European countries. Next comes the Industrial Revolution, improving techniques and bringing better machinery, while allowing for mass production and thus, more commercial consumption. Throughout this long history, beer became better, more liquidous—less like the gruel-like substance of the ancient world, and more importantly, a more male-dominated industry. The Prohibition Movement of the American U.S, wiped out the legal beer market in America. Upon its repeal, a watered-down, more regulated, prohibitionist pilsner emerged opening the way for Budweiser, Coors and Miller.

America’s explosion of Craft Beer styles has evolved the Beer industry in amazing ways, yet the industry has remained overwhelmingly male-dominated. Yet one brave soul, carving out a space in Harlem, New York, is not only a woman succeeding in a male industry, but is making headlines as one of the only Black, female Brewers in the country. Twenty-one years ago, Celeste Beatty, a product of the South who moved to the historic Harlem area of New York City, began experimenting with a home-brew kit that was given to her as a gift. In her words, it was “the gift that kept on brewing.” From her “Brewdio”, which was simply her studio apartment right across the street from Marcus Garvey Park, she launched Harlem Brewing Company. Today Celeste is head brewer, founder and CEO of her own company, in an industry where only 1-2% of American brewery owners are African-American. With this Black woman making beer, women are back into the beer making business. According to a 2021 interview she did with Insider magazine, African-Americans brought their knowledge of beer-making over from Africa, and were “brewing beer for Thomas Jefferson and others who enslaved us.” However, slaves were often not allowed to drink alcohol due to Whites’ fears of the substance rousing their violent tendencies and that drinking it would provoke the slaves into an alcohol-induced frenzy, resulting in them raping white women. As time went on and slavery was eradicated, Blacks were allowed to drink, but were often excluded from owning breweries. Nowadays, African-Americans’ inability to enter the industry is mostly a product of a lack of capital. Yet, Celeste is pioneering a new path in the American Craft Beer industry and is truly carving out her own empire. Recently, she opened a second hub and brewery pub in Rocky Mountain, North Carolina and is selling beers Internationally.

I met Celeste in Richmond, Virginia, where we teamed up to throw an educational event. Immediately, it became very apparent as to what made Celeste stand out. She was unapologetically black and ensconced Harlem Brewing Company in the traditions of the African-American culture. Rooted in the Harlem community with beers given names such as Renaissance Wit, 125th Street IPA and Sugar Hill Golden Ale, I made the mistake of thinking of her as simply a beer enthusiast and brewer, yet I soon discovered that her approach and impact was layered and nuanced. Celeste gears her passion for Craft Beer towards community building and manifesting the exact opposite of the exclusionary attitude found among the typical elites of the Beer making world. Celeste was about inclusivity, bringing with her a communal ethos to beer making. A huge part of Harlem Brewing Company’s mission is educating others on the process of home-brewing, not just selling beer and making money. Celeste was very much concerned with the societal and communal effects of Beer and seeks to make an impact, particularly in the Black community. Many new markets are growing now in the U.S and one of the traditional lynch pins of American capitalism is the purposeful exclusion of Blacks. Celeste seeks to do all she can to introduce the African-American drinker to the beer market. Beer drinking in African-American culture, traditionally has never been at the same heights as in other countries like Scotland, Germany and other places. Efforts are being made to change this and sophisticate the palate to the variety of new beer styles.

Celeste and I teamed up to do an educational event inside in Richmond as an expose of the beer making process. The event was a success, she taught a small crowd on the varying aspects of the brewing process which includes hops, yeasts and everything surrounding grains and even the milling process. She emphasized the importance of the emerging market and industry, but also how home-brewing and spreading its knowledge among the black community could lead to unexpected opportunities. Celeste’s own life is a testament to that.

As with many other women these days, Celeste is bringing her talents to the beer industry and then some. Celeste brings an empathic approach to Brewing as she isn’t focused solely on the commercial aspect, but she’s also seeking to give back to her community. Like some demi-god bringing the knowledge of the ambrosia of the gods from heaven to earth, Celeste is sowing the seeds of beer making knowledge wherever there is receptive soil. Whenever and wherever these seeds may sprout, the legacy of her impact will be untold, unsung and possibly unappreciated. Her impact in the Beer industry will be momentous, yet because she gives of her self and knowledge so freely, few may know.