USA, MI: Michigan’s first fully Black-owned Black Calder Brewing Co. ready to launch on Black Friday

Michigan's bustling craft beer scene is about to get its first fully Black-owned brewery, the Detroit Free Press reported on November 17.

Terry Rostic and Jamaal Ewing, who bill themselves as "craft beer heads," are set to open Black Calder Brewing Co. on Black Friday, with the release of its Black IPA (7% alcohol by volume), in the Grand Rapids area.

Black Calder will sell the Black IPA exclusively out of Broad Leaf Local Beer in Kentwood, with plans to collaborate with other Michigan breweries in the coming months. It will contract with Broad Leaf Local Beer and Grand Rapids-based Brewery Vivant during its "start-up phase," with plans of opening a physical location in Grand Rapids in 2021.

“Black Calder Brewing Company was established to make great beer and provide a platform for innovation, art, culture, and inclusion in the craft beer industry,” Rostic said in a news release. “We appreciate the significance of being recognized as Michigan’s first Black-owned brewery. It’s something Michigan and the craft beer industry has been longing for, but it’s not the only thing we want to be known for.

"Our motto is simple: Make dope beer for dope people.”

Rostic and Ewing, both Michigan-born, have been in the craft beer community for years, supporting local breweries and developing their brewing skills. They expressed excitement to be a part of the movement toward diversity and inclusion in Michigan's craft beer scene.

“The craft beer industry was full of flavor, community, and creativity,” Ewing said in a news release. “The passion that brewers, owners, and staff put into creating a unique experience was refreshing. What we didn’t see was diversity and themes that spoke to the culture that we represent. As we grow, we will also explore distilling and crafting wine for our non-beer drinking fans.”

16 November, 2020