Diversity.
I spoke recently with Javier Chávez Jr., founder and brewer at Ogden's Cerveza Zólupez Beer Company, for an article and podcast episode.
 His story is fascinating and inspiring (here's the article and here's the podcast).
Chávez's parents immigrated to the United States from Mexico in the late 1970s and have operated successful restaurants for nearly 30 years. Though Chávez was born in Utah, he holds a special affinity for his parents' homeland.
A desire to brew beer that honored Mexican culture and traditions led Chávez to start Zólupez—the name is a blend of his parents' hometowns and his surname—in 2017. It became Utah's smallest craft brewery, brewing five-gallon batches at a time. That translates into 50 bottles or so.
Zólupez, with Chávez at the helm, also became one of the country's few Latino-owned breweries.
“I saw this as a huge opportunity,” Chávez remembers. “Bringing Mexican culture and beer culture together.”
Our conversation touched on a range of topics. Perhaps the most important centered on diversity and inclusivity in Utah craft beer. Chávez, who's also a licensed lawyer and has been known to offer pro bono legal services, is one of the relatively few Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) in the United States who owns a craft brewery.
Chávez says Utah's always been welcoming, loving, and caring to him and his family. And fellow brewers are supportive of Zólupez. But it's clear that the Utah craft beer community is not especially diverse. That lack of diversity, Chávez says, is not unique to Utah.
"This is not something that's particular to Utah," he says. "This is something that's particular to the craft beer industry, period. Diversity, especially ethnic diversity is lacking in the craft beer industry."
That's a big reason Chávez founded Zólupez. He's proud to say Zólupez is 100% Latino-owned.
A Brewers Association benchmarking survey in 2018, when the country boasted more than 7,300 breweries, found that 2.4% of breweries were Hispanic- or Latino-owned. And a mere 1% were owned by African Americans. Conversely, the survey showed that 88.4% of breweries were white-owned.
The numbers don't get much better as you look at the percentage of BIPOC brewers and managers throughout craft beer.
"People are demanding diversity in business, in decision making, in political thought," Chávez says.
I reached out to the Utah Brewers Guild, which represents the state's 30+ craft breweries to get some broader perspective or insight. Specifically, I wondered:
- What strides has Utah craft beer made in recent years when it comes to employing/welcoming women/people of color/LGBTQ?
- How has the Guild promoted/encouraged diversity/inclusivity within Utah craft beer?
- Overall, what specific actions need to be taken to increase diversity within Utah craft beer (i.e. what can everyday beer drinkers do to help)?
"As a craft beer community and as a state, we need more marginalized communities at the table," Nico Dicou, executive director of the Utah Brewers Guild, wrote back. "Let's look around and notice who isn't being represented. Recognizing this is the first step to making more inclusive spaces for BIPOC and queer folks. We can do so much better! We need to do so much better."
I also messaged a handful of other brewery reps, both BIPOC and white. As I continue to gather information and listen to different perspectives, I'll share what I learn with readers of Utah Beer News.
As a journalist, I regularly learn from experts who know more about brewing and the craft beer industry than I do. As a white male, I recognize I must also listen to and learn from those who know much more than I do about racial inequality and social injustice.
If any brewery owners, brewers, or other representatives would like to share your thoughts on diversity and inclusivity within the Utah craft beer community, and how we can do better, please feel free to reach out.
Cheers,
Tim
Currently Drinking: As I write, I'm sipping a Lager Mexicano from Zólupez Beer Company. How about you?
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Hello Again & Welcome
If this is your first time receiving this monthly dispatch, welcome! If you're a longtime subscriber, thank you for sticking with it. As always, feel free to drop a line to let me know what you think.
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Brewery Spotlight: Zólupez Beer Company
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New Article & Podcast Episode: Visit UtahBeerNews.com to learn more about Cerveza Zólupez Beer Company. We chatted with Javier Chávez Jr., the Ogden brewery's founder and brewer, to learn how he got his start in brewing, why the beers—and even the brewery name—hold special meaning, and, as one of the country’s few Latino brewery owners, Chávez shares his thoughts on the importance of increased diversity and inclusiveness in the beer world.
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🎙 Utah Beer News Podcast
The Utah Beer News podcast provides another avenue for us to tell stories about the Utah beer community. We'd love for you to subscribe, take a listen, and let us know what you think!
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From the Archives: Shades Brewing—The Kveik Stuff
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Two years ago this week, Shades Brewing released the first in what would become a super-popular—and extensive—lineup of golden sour ales brewed with an ancient Norwegian yeast.
Kveik 1, which went on to win Gold at the 2018 Great American Beer Festival, was dry-hopped with Nelson Sauvin™.
Since then, Head Brewer Marcio Buffolo's transformed the base golden sour ale into a multitude of quirky concoctions—all of which are sought out by sour fans statewide.
Step into the Utah Beer News archives to learn more about "The Kveik Stuff."
🎙 BONUS: We visited with Buffolo and Shades Brewing Founder Trent Fargher in June 2018 for the very first Utah Beer News podcast episode. Take a listen! And here's a video of our conversation.
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Congrats to Our 'Gift Card Giveaway' Winners
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In last month's newsletter, I asked readers to send me 2-3 sentences about their experience over the past two months (from a beer perspective).
 I'd planned to give three random readers each a gift card to a local brewery, but I received only two responses (both from readers in Tooele, interestingly enough).
Congratulations to...
Thank you for sharing your thoughts! For everyone else, keep an eye out for more giveaways down the road.
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 Each month, I gather beer-related news and notes to share with Utah Beer News email subscribers. Much of what's mentioned in this space is obtained from social sites, taproom visits, email newsletters, etc. (and a few are sent directly to me—hint, hint).
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Reminder: It's always best to confirm event dates, times and locations with the individual organizers.
- We mentioned last month that SaltFire Brewing is participating in the Black is Beautiful campaign. The collaborative effort is designed “to raise awareness for the injustices people of color face daily and raise funds for police brutality reform and legal defenses for those who have been wronged,” organizers explain. More than 900 breweries from all 50 states and 17 countries are brewing the collaboration beer—a 10% ABV Imperial Stout (though breweries are given leeway to improvise). SaltFire released a 5% ABV Oatmeal Stout on July 1. Fisher Brewing, Kiitos Brewing, and Red Rock Brewing are also participating, according to the Black is Beautiful website.
- Toasted Barrel Brewery introduced what it believes to be the “first true outside spontaneous fermentation beer” brewed in Utah. To Be Home, the first in Toasted Barrel’s “To Be” series, went on sale on Wednesday at the brewery. The beer has been aged in white wine barrels and features local grains, backyard-grown hops, Utah water, and yeast cultivated near the brewer’s home.
- Incidentally, congratulations to Toasted Barrel on its two-year anniversary. 🍻
- The second annual National Beer Run Day is set for July 3. It encourages beer lovers to stock up on their favorite local craft beers ahead of the Independence Day weekend. By purchasing beer at the source, “you are helping fuel small businesses at a time when they need it most,” the Brewers Association writes. #BeerRunDay
- The popular Hops Hunters Hikes are scheduled for 2020, with the next hike set for July 8. It's a little different this year (get all the details), but here's a general article we wrote previously about the series.
- Between June 5-12, T.F. Brewing donated 50% of sales of its Ferda Imperial IPA to the Utah Black Chamber and the NAACP Salt Lake chapter. It raised more than $5,000.
- Policy Kings Brewery is organizing the Second Annual Unity and Community Beer Festival. It's scheduled to take place on July 25 at the brewery from 1-9 p.m.
- Speaking of Policy Kings, the Cedar City brewery is also planning to open "the first and only homebrew supply store" in southern Utah.
- Should Utah privatize liquor? That's a question a lot of people ask, and this Salt Lake Tribune article highlights a study wondering if privatization's all it's cracked up to be.
- A Brewers Association survey in mid-June shows that breweries are more optimistic about survival than they were two months prior, via PorchDrinking.com.
- Crowlers to-go are now available at The Bayou.
- Ogden River Brewing gave us a peek at the progress that's being made on the brewery up north. And last week, brew tanks arrived. It's hoping to open in mid-August.
- It looks like a patio is coming to Craft by Proper.
- Kittos Brewing hasn't reopened its taproom yet, but when it does, it will have an expanded draft system—to the tune of 29 taps! Whoa.
- The Great American Beer Festival is getting creative. Billed as “a totally new kind of GABF,” virtual attendees can purchase a t-shirt/beer passport package for $49. From Oct. 1-18 holders of the passport are eligible for “beery deals” at participating festival breweries nationwide. Exclusive online content will be available to ticket holders Oct. 16-17.
And finally...
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Brewery Folks: Got news, notes, or events to share? Don't count on us to find it on social media. Please send the info to Utah Beer News directly if you'd like us to help spread the word.
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