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Beer & The Perfect NPR Story

It’s like something out of Portlandia. Here’s the headline: ‘Why Aren’t There More People Of Color In Craft Brewing?’ Racist beer! Seriously, I swear, this is real. The answer, in part: Looking at the nation’s community of home-brewers also sheds light on the matter, says brewer Jeremy Marshall, of Lagunitas Brewing Co. Andres Araya owns the […]

It’s like something out of Portlandia. Here’s the headline:

‘Why Aren’t There More People Of Color In Craft Brewing?’

Racist beer! Seriously, I swear, this is real. The answer, in part:

Looking at the nation’s community of home-brewers also sheds light on the matter, says brewer Jeremy Marshall, of Lagunitas Brewing Co.

Andres Araya owns the 5 Rabbit Cerveceria in Chicago. He says “home-brewing doesn’t really exist in Latin America.”

“Craft brewing is rooted in home-brewing,” Marshall says. “And if you look at home-brewing, you see nerdy white guys playing Dungeons and Dragons and living in their mom’s basement, and I know this because I was and am one of them.”

In truth, this is kind of interesting from a food culture perspective. But only NPR would worry about the lack of blacks, Hispanics, and Asians in the tiny craft brewing industry. Only 6.5 percent of US beer sales are craft brews. Nearly everybody — white, black, and everybody else — prefers Budweiser, Coors, and the like. I drink craft brews exclusively — bought a six-pack of Tin Roof Blonde and a six-pack of New Belgium’s Ranger IPA today — but people like me are relatively few and far between. May our tribe increase, and diversify!

Still, who cares about the color of the people who make craft brews? Who besides NPR, I mean? Come to think of it, I don’t know any women who are into craft brews, though I’m sure there are some. It’s mostly a white male geek thing. So what? What’s next, a Federal Trade Commission action against craft brewers based on disparate impact?

UPDATE: You need to read the comments on this thread. Interesting exchanges there.

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