Beer is steeped in Blackness. It played a significant spiritual and social role in pre-colonial West Africa. By the time our ancestors were kidnapped and brought to these shores, they were already experts in fermentation and no strangers to brewing.
Traditionally, beer was a libation poured and passed to celebrate marriages and honor the deceased. Enslaved people cultivated hops and other grains They were so well known for excelling at the craft that enslavers often posted advertisements for skilled Black brewers.
When German beer culture came to the US, it changed how beer was consumed, effectively shutting Black brewmakers out of the industry. Beer drinking was previously done at home, but saloon culture made it public. Black folks weren't allowed in bars, pubs, and taverns, so we were once again excluded from beer culture. With the Civil Rights Movement, that changed.
The Movement made corporations "realize" they were ignoring Black consumers, but by then our folks were drinking malt liquor. So brands like Colt 45 began using celebrity endorsements to sell us this artificially brewed beer.
History books try to pretend we weren’t there, but when we look deeper, we see so many things that have long come from Black creativity, skill, and genius. The world doesn't move without us.