Black Is Beautiful, Vol. 2, Ready to Drop
Weathered Souls Brewing in San Antonio and the recently launched National Black Brewers Association (NBBA) have announced a new edition of the Black Is Beautiful campaign. Volume Two of this open-source collaboration is based on a new hazy IPA recipe from Marcus Baskerville, cofounder and head brewer at Weathered Souls and a member of the NBBA board of directors. For this edition, 100 percent of the proceeds—from a pledge of $1 per beer—will go to the NBBA, which aims to make the industry more equitable and inclusive while increasing the number of African-Americans who work in brewing. For more information, see the Black Is Beautiful website.
Anchor Employees Say They Want to Buy Brewery
A group of 40 union workers at Anchor Brewing in San Francisco have sent a letter to ownership saying they’re interested in buying the 127-year-old company. That letter came about a week after Sapporo announced July 12 that it had failed to find a buyer and that it would cease operations and liquidate. “We are not asking for a handout or charity,” the letter says, according to VinePair. “All we want is a fair shot at being able to continue to do our jobs, make the beer we love, and keep this historic institution open.” Some workers have criticized Sapporo, which bought Anchor in 2017, for mismanaging the craft-brewing pioneer.
Walmart to Require Unique UPCs for All Beer
Beginning in March 2024, Walmart says it will require all beers sold in its stores to have unique UPC codes. It’s long been an accepted practice for breweries to re-use those codes on rotating items such as seasonal beers and variety packs. However, Walmart says the policy is to help ensure that the growing number of online shoppers receive exactly the products that they order, instead of being surprised by the wrong beverage. The National Beer Wholesalers Association says this will also be a headache for distributors, who may need to change their backend systems to allow for the new UPCs.