Marcus Baskerville is a prominent figure in the craft beer industry, recognized as the co-founder of Weathered Souls Brewing Co. in San Antonio, Texas, and the visionary behind the globally impactful ‘Black is Beautiful’ collaborative beer initiative. His work has significantly championed diversity and social justice within the brewing community.
Baskerville’s journey into professional brewing began after a serendipitous entry into homebrewing following a car accident in San Antonio. He had relocated to the city in 2013 for a job with Citibank, but a series of accidents led him to invest his insurance payout into quality homebrewing equipment. After honing his craft and sharing his beers at local establishments, he co-founded Weathered Souls Brewing Co. with Mike Holt, opening its doors on November 19, 2016. The brewery quickly gained acclaim for its diverse offerings, including hazy IPAs and barrel-aged pastry stouts, and was named the best craft brewery of 2020 by Hop Culture magazine. Baskerville is also recognized for historically becoming the first Black brewer in the state of Texas and the first Black member of the Texas Brewers Guild.
However, as of September 22, 2024, Weathered Souls Brewing Co.’s San Antonio location permanently closed, following the closure of its Charlotte, North Carolina taproom in April 2024. Marcus Baskerville had also departed the company in June 2024, amid efforts to find investors to retain the brand as a Black-owned business.
Origins of ‘Black is Beautiful’
The ‘Black is Beautiful’ initiative emerged in June 2020 as a powerful response to the widespread protests against racial injustice and police brutality, particularly following the murder of George Floyd. Baskerville, as a Black business owner and brewer, felt compelled to use his platform to address these systemic issues. Inspired by collaborative efforts seen in the industry, such as Other Half Brewing’s ‘All Together IPA’ for COVID-19 relief, Baskerville conceptualized a similar large-scale project for social justice. His goal was to create an initiative that would not only raise awareness about injustices faced by Black people and people of color but also generate tangible financial support for organizations fighting for racial equity and police reform.
A Global Collaboration for Change
The core concept of ‘Black is Beautiful’ was brilliantly simple yet profoundly effective: Baskerville developed an open-source imperial stout recipe and invited breweries worldwide to brew their own version of the beer. Participating breweries were asked to donate 100% of the proceeds from their ‘Black is Beautiful’ beer sales to local organizations dedicated to racial justice, equality, and police brutality reform. To ensure a unified message and recognizable identity, a standardized label design was also provided, which breweries could customize.
The response to the initiative was overwhelming. What started as a local idea quickly gained global momentum. By March 2021, over 1,200 breweries across all 50 U.S. states and more than 20 countries had participated. By August 2023, the initiative had seen participation from over 1,600 breweries in 22 countries, with other estimates placing the number at 1,500 breweries across 50 states and 33 countries. This collective effort successfully raised over $4 million by June 2022, and more than $6 million by August 2023, for various organizations supporting racial justice and inclusion.
The initiative demonstrated the unifying power of beer, bringing together diverse demographics and sparking conversations that might not have otherwise occurred within the craft beer community. Rhythm Brewing, a Black-owned brewery in New Haven, Connecticut, was among those that participated, highlighting the initiative's broad appeal across demographics and its role in fostering greater awareness and inclusion.
Impact on the Craft Beer Industry
‘Black is Beautiful’ extended far beyond a single beer collaboration; it became a significant social movement within the alcohol industry. Its impact on the craft beer industry has been multifaceted and enduring:
- Increased Awareness and Dialogue: The initiative successfully brought conversations about systemic racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion to the forefront of the craft beer community. It served as a catalyst for breweries to look inward and consider how they could drive positive change from within.
- Leadership and Representation: The success of ‘Black is Beautiful’ elevated Marcus Baskerville’s profile, leading to his election to the board of directors for the Brewers Association in 2020. This provided a crucial voice for diversity in an industry where, at the time, less than 1% of craft breweries in the United States were owned by African Americans.
- New Programs and Opportunities: The initiative directly spurred the creation of new programs aimed at fostering diversity. One notable example is the Harriet Baskerville Incubation Program, named after Marcus Baskerville’s grandmother. This program provides professional development, education, and support for brewers from underrepresented groups, including Black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC), women, and LGBTQ+ individuals who are in the process of opening their own breweries.
- Catalyst for Broader Initiatives: ‘Black is Beautiful’ helped pave the way for other significant industry-wide efforts. These include the establishment of the Michael James Jackson Foundation for Brewing & Distilling, which offers scholarships to underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, and collaborations like ‘Brave Noise,’ which emerged from discussions around discrimination within the industry.
- Evolving Mission: In 2023, the ‘Black is Beautiful’ initiative made a comeback, this time featuring a Hazy IPA recipe. This iteration shifted its primary beneficiary to the National Black Brewers Association (NB2A), with participating breweries pledging $1 per beer sold to support the NB2A’s mission to develop and grow Black brewers nationwide. This evolution underscored a continued commitment to building a more inclusive future for craft beer.
Through Marcus Baskerville’s vision and the widespread participation of the brewing community, the ‘Black is Beautiful’ initiative became a landmark effort in advocating for racial justice and diversity. It not only raised millions for critical causes but also left an indelible mark on the craft beer landscape, fostering ongoing conversations and creating concrete pathways for greater inclusion and equity within the industry. The initiative is a testament to how the craft beer community can mobilize to address pressing social issues, contributing significantly to the broader Black-owned craft beer movement.
Sources
- Meet Marcus Baskerville, Founder of Weathered Souls Brewing Co.
- Black Is Beautiful, The Biggest Beer Collaboration Project Ever, Is Coming Back
- Black is Beautiful Beer - National Black Brewers Association