For The Culture Brewing Brings Diversity to Houston’s Growing Craft Beer Scene | Eater Houston

"Majority African-American-owned and perhaps Houston’s first brewery owned by brewers of color, For The Culture Brewing Company was founded by co‑founders Jonathan Brown and Carl Roaches Jr., who have spent the past six months serving beers at pop-ups around town—mostly alumni tailgates, private events, and weddings—and giving their brews away for free. I learned their homebrewing kicked into high gear around Hurricane Harvey—“we were goofing off in the kitchen, underestimating the storm,” Roaches recalls—and they moved from a 15‑gallon half‑barrel system to planning a permanent taproom and brewery inside the loop using a 15‑barrel brewing system, aiming to open sometime in 2019 with three co‑owners, all men of color. Their current lineup includes a blonde ale, hibiscus and elder flower ale, brown ale, strong golden ale, IPA, and milk porter, and the venture is explicitly about monetizing their hobby while increasing diversity in Houston’s craft beer scene; Roaches cites Brewers Association figures showing craft beer drinkers are about 85% caucasian and 70% male and stresses the need to reach people and women who may not have been exposed to beer as a beverage of choice, noting historically women were among the first industrial brewmasters. Fans can follow For The Culture Brewing on social media for pop‑up dates and updates on the forthcoming permanent location." - Alaena Hostetter