We all spend an enormous amount of time appreciating the liquid in the can, but what about the person behind the beer? At the beginning of every year, we take a look at the trends<\/a> we see driving the industry, the breweries to watch<\/a>, and the people who, in our opinion, deserve a second glance. <\/p>\n Our list of People to Watch in Craft Beer in 2025 highlights the voices changing craft beer for the better every day; those folx go beyond just clocking in every day and making beer. <\/p>\n The people mentioned here represent Black, Brown, female-identifying, South Asian, Latine, Asian, and other voices in brewing. They all change the industry not only through the beer they brew but also through the sometimes invisible work they do every day. <\/p>\n In 2025, we\u2019re making sure these unspoken voices become a part of everyday conversation. As you start your new year, watch how these fourteen people continue breaking industry boundaries. <\/p>\n Founder, Moonwake Beer Co.<\/em><\/p>\n Photography courtesy of James Porteous | Moonwake Brewing<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Photography courtesy of Grace Lee-Weitz<\/p>\n<\/div>\n As much as Co-Founder Vinny Rosario will tell you Moonwake Beer Co. is old-school and straightforward, the beers he\u2019s making and, most notably, the environment he\u2019s creating are anything but. <\/p>\n It\u2019s hard to find a beer at Moonwake that doesn\u2019t hit the mark, whether a Black Lager or a Hibiscus Sour that includes twenty kilos of hibiscus petals. <\/p>\n Named after the moon\u2019s reflection on a body of water, Moonwake Beer Co. embodies these shimmering layers. You can never quite pin them down, yet you are surprisingly impressed by their beauty. <\/p>\n Rosario grew up in New Zealand and trained as a chemical engineer specializing in food and beverage, specifically the dairy industry, before turning his attention to beer. <\/p>\n Walk inside Moonwake\u2019s dappled walls, and you won\u2019t just drink fantastic beer; you\u2019ll find yourself reflecting on what it means to be an inclusive and accessible brewery in the U.K. <\/p>\n \u201cVinny is definitely one of the few people of color to own a brewery in the U.K.,\u201d Former Moonwake Beer Co. Marketing and Events Manager Sarah Sinclair told Hop Culture Senior Content Editor Grace Lee-Weitz when she visited last April. So he wants to make sure that Moonwake makes beer a safe and welcoming space for all. <\/p>\n \u201cThere is a lot of gatekeeping in the craft beer world; it was very much a cool kids club,\u201d said Rosario, whose efforts earned him a spot on Good Beer Hunting\u2019s 2022 Signifiers list. \u201cThe whole idea with Moonwake was trying to make it welcoming and accessible.\u201d <\/p>\n Which comes in many forms. <\/p>\n Physically, Moonwake installed a lift, which cost them an extra \u00a320,000 ($25,000) so that anyone could reach its second-floor mezzanine taproom, along with a separate, fully accessible disabled bathroom. <\/p>\n Rosario has a friend whose father had a stroke. Using a wheelchair, he found it hard to access a lot of taprooms\u2014those like Moonwake, whose location near the docks in Leith includes a bunch of bumpy back streets. <\/p>\n Sinclair said they even had a recent customer visit with an elderly dog who used the lift so their pup wouldn\u2019t have to take the stairs.<\/p>\n The ripple effects of Moonwake\u2019s approach have reached many folx. Today, the Queer community has gravitated to Moonwake. <\/p>\n \u201c[Vinny] wanted Moonwake Beer Co. to be approachable to a wide range of people; they wanted to make an inclusive, welcoming space in the taproom, and they want to embrace people no matter where you\u2019re from or who you are,\u201d said Sinclair. \u201cAnd I like to think that we\u2019ve managed to distill that through the whole business, as well as the technical brewing.\u201d<\/p>\n The way Sinclair spoke of the space reminded Lee-Weitz of places like Trace Brewing<\/a> in Pittsburgh or Goldspot<\/a> in Denver, pillars in their own communities. <\/p>\n What started as a warehouse with nothing inside has become a home filled with people of all ages, colors, gender identities, and expressions\u2014all enjoying one thing. <\/p>\n Beer. <\/p>\n One might say Moonwake\u2019s community is as colorful as that iconic mural you see on the wall. <\/p>\n Even as the brewery continues to grow, its ethics are one thing they\u2019ll never compromise.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not one thing we\u2019ve done or one beer we\u2019ve brewed,\u201d Rosario told me. \u201cIt\u2019s just everyone doing the little things well.\u201d<\/p>\n Read more<\/a><\/p>\n Founder, Brown Girl\u2019s Brew\u00ae<\/em><\/p>\n Photography courtesy of Brown Girl\u2019s Brew and New York Wins<\/p>\n<\/div>\n We haven\u2019t seen anyone out there in craft beer like Christina Thomas. <\/p>\n We think all of you will agree that in today\u2019s industry, with just a whisker shy of ten thousand breweries in the country, that is very, very hard to do.<\/p>\n Thomas\u2019 brand, Brown Girl\u2019s Brew\u00ae<\/a>, transforms cherished pastries into crushable beers. These aren\u2019t just any old recipes.<\/p>\n \u201cI grew up in quite a large family,\u201d says Thomas, the youngest of eight. \u201cMy mom was always baking. \u2026 She made sure we had desserts all the time.\u201d<\/p>\n With a dream to open a bakery, Thomas\u2019 mother eventually converted a family-owned house in Chicago into a makeshift bakery\u2014Allie\u2019s Cakes & Bakery.<\/p>\n The place became a delicious haven.<\/p>\n \u201cMost of her customers were neighbors, people from her religious community, [and folks who came] from word of mouth,\u201d says Thomas.<\/p>\n Vibrantly spiced carrot cake and crowd-pleaser lemon pound cake were always on the menu, along with specials around the holidays, such as German chocolate cake.<\/p>\n In 2009, Thomas, who first got into craft beer after drinking a Fat Tire, had a brilliant idea.<\/p>\n She wanted to transform her mother\u2019s recipes into beer.<\/p>\n Now known as the Brew Mistress, Thomas has introduced five beers to Brown Girl\u2019s Brew including Carrot Cake Amber Ale<\/a>, Lemon Pound Cake Lager<\/a>, Key Lime Pie American Ale<\/a>, Banana Pudding Hefeweizen<\/a>, and German Chocolate Cake Stout<\/a>.<\/p>\n Thomas impressed us and our fans so much that we named Brown Girl\u2019s Brew to our list of \u201cThe 11 Best Breweries of 2024.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n Thomas\u2019 mother\u2019s recipes didn\u2019t just feed a community; they fed a community\u2019s soul. Thomas wants to do the same with Brown Girl\u2019s Brew.<\/p>\n \u201cSome of us think that it\u2019s just the liquid that is the main component, and it\u2019s really not,\u201d she told us. \u201cBrown Girl\u2019s Brew is on a mission to make sure we push the needle for diversity, not only in the brewing space but just the entire ecosystem around the beer industry.\u201d<\/p>\n When Thomas first had the idea for Brown Girl\u2019s Brew in 2009, she asked herself, \u201cWho was I going to call?\u201d The list was short or, more honestly, non-existent because the representation didn\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n Which is why it took Thomas many more years to bring Brown Girl\u2019s Brew to life.<\/p>\n Now, she wants to be a leader and mentor for those underrepresented groups looking to open beverage businesses. <\/p>\n In the future, Thomas hopes to open an incubator space in Harlem, NY. Thomas wants to provide resources around not just beer development but the history, science, legal, and technical aspects of running a business. For instance, teaching others all of the laws around applying for liquor licenses or learning how to develop recipes. <\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s no space like that in Harlem,\u201d Thomas points out, \u201cso it would be a big deal if we had a beer school\u2014that would be super dope.\u201d <\/p>\n Learn More<\/a><\/p>\n Founder, Hurray\u2019s Girl Beer<\/em><\/p>\n For sixteen years, Brewbound has hosted a competition for emerging beverage brands called the Brewbound Live Pitch Slam. Last December, Hop Culture had the opportunity to attend this event in person for the first time. <\/p>\n Through several knockout rounds, entrepreneurs and business owners give two-minute pitches to a panel of industry experts. The winner earns bragging rights, a one-year data and consulting package from NIQ and 3 Tier Beverages, a $10,000 Brewbound advertising package, and a feature on Brewbound.com. <\/p>\n Out of eleven contestants, Hurray\u2019s Girl Beer<\/a> Founder Ray Biebuyck walked away the 2024 champion. <\/p>\n On a mission to make beer for female-identifying drinkerss that isn\u2019t just splashed in pink, Hurray\u2019s Girl Beer chooses to \u201cchange the stigmas of the beer industry, support causes we believe in, be little trolls, and giggle and kick our feet while we do it,\u201d according to the brand\u2019s website. <\/p>\n With a bit of an edge, Hurray\u2019s Girl Beer takes a new approach to busting old stereotypes.<\/p>\n Check out its website, and you\u2019ll find high heels, platforms, and sneakers smashing through a plain silver can of beer. <\/p>\n Biebuyck\u2019s Hurray\u2019s Girl Beer has stomped onto the scene, launching last September with two flavors\u2014Pineapple Yuzu and Blueberry Lavender\u2014and appearing in over eighty stores. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s no secret that the industry has struggled to bring in a younger consumer and broaden its base of female beer drinkers,\u201d Biebuyck told Brewbound<\/a>. \u201cIf beer were able to capture a net new female consumer that is opting for hard seltzer, hard kombucha, and better-for-you beverages, it could represent over a $14 billion opportunity. So we\u2019re aiming to solve just that.\u201d <\/p>\n Biebuyck\u2019s mission and somewhat cheeky approach to bashing gender stereotypes (seriously, check out their IG\u2014@itsagirlbeer<\/a>) in the industry have us keeping an eye on Hurray\u2019s Girl Beer this year. <\/p>\n And you should, too. <\/p>\n Learn More<\/a><\/p>\n Founder, Barrel & Flow Fest<\/em><\/p>\n We\u2019ve had the pleasure of crossing paths with Barrel & Flow Fest Founder Day Bracey many times. And yet, each time we hear him speak or start up a conversation, we always leave feeling inspired. <\/p>\n Guaranteed. <\/p>\n If you haven\u2019t heard of the Emmy-nominated comedian, podcaster, and festival founder, you\u2019re missing out on life. <\/p>\n Because Bracey is life itself, a breath of fresh air in an industry that sometimes feels full of stale platitudes. <\/p>\n Bracey tells it like it is. And he never holds back. Yet, at the same time that he makes you stop and ponder, in the next instance, he\u2019ll make you laugh. That\u2019s the talent of a true comedian, no? <\/p>\n During the 2024 Brewbound Live conference, which Hop Culture attended in Marina del Rey, CA, Bracey participated in a panel called Welcome: Making Beer Accessible to Underrepresented Groups<\/a>. <\/p>\n Sporting a charcoal grey crewneck with the words Barrel & Flow raised and etched across the chest, Bracey opened with a bang. <\/p>\n \u201cFirst and foremost, the thing you should know about me is that I\u2019m Emmy nominated,\u201d he laughed before reminding us, \u201cI wasn\u2019t born Emmy nominated.\u201d <\/p>\n Bracey started working in social services, where, for ten years, he learned how to connect with folks and lower barriers to access. When he got into comedy production, Bracey quickly realized there were two significant areas of funding: grants and alcohol. \u201cAs a Black person and an entertainer, I realized very quickly that I\u2019m at the end of that,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m bringing in 300 people, but I\u2019m getting paid $300.\u201d <\/p>\n Bracey had a thought. <\/p>\n \u201cI used to sell drugs, so I know how to cut out the middleman and go straight to the source,\u201d he explained, \u201cso I went straight to the suppliers, the breweries, and said, \u2018Hey, I got people, you got booze; why don\u2019t we make this work?\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n Bracey started a podcast interviewing breweries. \u201cWe were drunk the whole time,\u201d he laughs, \u201cbut we got to interview a lot of cool people, make a lot of connections, get into the brewing industry, and build unique events.\u201d <\/p>\n Bracey brought events to theaters featuring music, comedy, and breweries, which eventually led to Barrel & Flow Fest<\/a>, the nation\u2019s premier festival featuring Black- and Brown-owned breweries. <\/p>\n For two years in a row, USAToday has named Barrel & Flow Fest the number-one beer festival in America. <\/p>\n And for good reason. <\/p>\n As Bracey explains, Barrel & Flow Fest generates millions of dollars in revenue every year in Pittsburgh. No one who works at the festival gets paid less than $25\/hour, and there are no volunteers. Bracey says that they pay their music acts above industry standards, keep their vending fees low so the Black community can access the event, and price their tickets appropriately for a region where the average household income for a Black family is $37,000. <\/p>\n With the price of a ticket around fifty dollars, Day says, \u201cYou still have a little bit of money in your pocket to spend with those folks at the festival.\u201d <\/p>\n With around 185 vendors, including 30 food trucks, all focused on Black- or Brown-owned businesses, Barrel & Flow Fest creates an incredible supportive ecosystem accessible to everyone. <\/p>\n Additionally, to pour at the festival, you either need to be a Black-owned brewery or pair with a Black artist or entrepreneur to create a new beverage for the festival. If you distribute the beer, you must pay and credit the Black artist for the label. \u201cThere are literally thousands of dollars generated through the labels; thousands of dollars generated through the beer sales and the collaborations,\u201d explains Bracey, who points to an economic impact report released last year that cited Barrel & Flow Fest as generating around $350,000, but he believes that number to be even higher. \u201cI don\u2019t believe they\u2019re counting the money that came out of my pocket and also the amount of money generated at the festival\u2014literally hundreds of thousands of dollars\u2014and then heads in beds and the ripple effect of those artists and different brands who are now in these breweries.\u201d <\/p>\n Looking ahead, Bracey told Hop Culture that he has big plans for Barrel & Flow Fest this year and hopes to bring the groundbreaking festival to another city for the first time. <\/p>\n Bracey has already created a legacy, but we expect him to continue making the best beer festival in America even better. <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not doing this for funsies; we\u2019re doing it because it adds to the quality of the product,\u201d he said in all seriousness. \u201cWe are the best beer festival in America, and the only people who doubt that are the ones who haven\u2019t been there yet.\u201d <\/p>\n So get yourself there this year. <\/p>\n Learn More<\/a><\/p>\n Founder & Farm Manager, Loza Farms<\/em><\/p>\n Loza Farms Farm Manager Leon Loza Jr. (front right) | Photography courtesy of Loza Farms<\/p>\n<\/div>\n When Hop Culture visited the Yakima Valley<\/a> last fall, Senior Content Editor Grace Lee-Weitz and Social Media Manager Magic Muncie spent time on quite a few hop farms. <\/p>\n One, in particular, stood out. <\/p>\n During this past harvest at Loza Farms, an entire CTZ hop yard fell over in the middle of the harvest. The irrigation ditch broke, flooding the anchors and dragging down all the poles in the yard. <\/p>\n Instead of calling it a loss, Farm Manager Leon Loza Jr., aka \u201cJunior,\u201d and his brother started picking, working for three days straight on four hours of sleep each night. \u201cWe got like eighty percent of the hops off,\u201d Junior said proudly. <\/p>\n It\u2019s nothing if the perfect story parable for Loza Farms. <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re a first-generation hop farm; we have to make it work,\u201d explained Junior, who, in his free time, likes to dabble in carpentry and raises his own pigs, cows, goats, and chickens. \u201cYou don\u2019t have a choice. I don\u2019t cry about it. Tears are only going to go so far.\u201d<\/p>\n Known as one of, if not the only, Hispanic-owned commercial hop farm in the entire country, Loza Farms<\/a> is a family affair.<\/p>\n As Junior drove us in his truck through the just-picked hop fields, he shared the family\u2019s enduring story. <\/p>\n Junior\u2019s father, Leon Loza Sr., started the hop farm in the early 2000s. Although, to truly understand the bones of Loza Farms, you need to travel back much, much earlier. <\/p>\n Born in Jalostotitl\u00e1n, Jalisco, Mexico, Leon Sr. dropped out of school at eleven years old to find a job. He helped build roads for the government to earn money to pay for his grandmother\u2019s medicine. <\/p>\n \u201cHe was driving heavy machinery by the time he was fourteen,\u201d explained Junior. <\/p>\n In the late 1970s, at age fifteen, Leon Sr. made the dangerous crossing to the U.S., joining an uncle who worked in the hop fields in the Yakima Valley. <\/p>\n He worked at a Wapato hop farm owned by Stanley Brulotte, where he eventually became a year-round salaried employee. <\/p>\n Sixteen years later, Leon Sr. rented twenty acres of vacant farmland from Brulotte, making enough his first year to buy a house. <\/p>\n \u201cThat house wasn\u2019t a house,\u201d laughed Junior. \u201cIt was a shack.\u201d But despite not having running water, the house became a home. <\/p>\n Fourteen years later, after Brulotte and his wife passed away, Leon Sr. bought the fifty-six-acre hop farm. <\/p>\n At the time, in 2006, \u201chops weren\u2019t worth anything,\u201d Junior explained. \u201cThe land wasn\u2019t worth very much\u2026so the amount of money we paid for the farm was nothing to what it would be 1736962699.\u201d <\/p>\n The margins were so low that \u201cmy parents didn\u2019t make any money that [first] year,\u201d said Junior. \u201cThey lived off their rental house income.\u201d <\/p>\n Junior, the eldest of four children, grew up working on the farm. At thirteen, he was first paid to help with a hop harvest. Tasked with separating vines, Junior would untwist tangled knots from six in the morning until two in the afternoon. He made a hundred bucks a week. <\/p>\n As the craft industry bloomed, so did Loza Farms hop production, which now includes 365 acres. <\/p>\n Today, Loza Farms is the only known Latine-owned commercial hop farm in the U.S.<\/p>\n During harvest, Junior says you\u2019ll probably find him welding and fixing something in his parts shop while his dad wanders around wearing jeans and a denim shirt. \u201cThe whole Canadian tuxedo thing,\u201d laughs Junior. <\/p>\n But all joking aside, for Junior, it\u2019s all about two things: growth and connections. <\/p>\n \u201cI think we have to keep growing because if we don\u2019t grow,\u201d he said, \u201cwe\u2019re going to die.\u201d <\/p>\n But more than just the hops in the field, Junior believes it\u2019s essential to make that connection from farm to table, from bine to brewery. <\/p>\n He networks as much as possible, visiting breweries, doing collabs, attending beer festivals, and, of course, hosting brewers (and folks like us) at the farm. <\/p>\n \u201cI say yes to everything,\u201d he laughed. \u201cWhen people DM me, I always say yes.\u201d <\/p>\n For the past five years, during harvest, Loza Farms has hosted Mexican Night. The Loza family welcomes industry folks to enjoy Mexican music, food, and, of course, beer brewed with hops from Loza Farms. <\/p>\n This past harvest, Junior estimates 250 people came through. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m living the American dream. I enjoy what I\u2019m doing\u2026but whenever I do something with Mexican brewers, it\u2019s different,\u201d said Junior. \u201cIt\u2019s somewhere I fit in. You know what I mean? It hits differently.\u201d <\/p>\n Together, this family has scrapped, scraped, built, re-built, planted, and replanted the roots to something truly special. <\/p>\n They\u2019ve never forgotten how far they\u2019ve come and how far they still want to go. <\/p>\n Read More<\/a><\/p>\n Brewer, Grimm Artisanal Ales, and Recipient of the Sir Geoff Palmer Scholarship for Brewing at The Michael James Jackson Foundation<\/em><\/p>\n Photography courtesy of Miguel Rivas<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Venezuelan-American brewer Galadriel (Gali) Hernandez joined the recent crop of The Michael James Jackson Foundation for Brewing & Distilling (The MJF) award recipients, announced last October. <\/p>\n The Sir Geoff Palmer Scholarship for Brewing awardee, who will attend Siebel\u2019s WBA Advanced Brewing Theory Program, says beer has always been a part of her life. <\/p>\n \u201cI remember being in Venezuela visiting family and going with my aunts and uncles to buy plastic crates of beer to bring to play dominoes or for my cousin\u2019s baptism,\u201d Hernandez shared with Hop Culture. \u201cBeer was always a connection of joy and community.\u201d <\/p>\n Starting as a production intern at Bronx Brewery, Hernandez worked her way up. <\/p>\n Currently a brewer at Grimm, Gali says she feels \u201csuper honored and humbled\u201d to join The MJF cohort. <\/p>\n Beyond improving her skills, Hernandez has long-term goals to change and evolve the industry. <\/p>\n \u201cUltimately, I want to work in mentorship for future brewers, especially BIPOC brewers,\u201d she said, \u201cbeing there as support or providing resources and sharing knowledge. <\/p>\n As a first-generation Latina, Hernandez says her family has inspired her and always taught her to always help others. <\/p>\n Hernandez\u2019 parents moved to the States for post-graduate education, working nights while attending school. <\/p>\n \u201cSometimes my coworkers tell me that I work hard,\u201d said Hernandez, \u201cbut I have a whole other example of what working hard looks like.\u201d <\/p>\n She adds, \u201cAs Latinas, we definitely have this weight that we carry of needing to fulfill all of these things our parents have gone through, the dreams they have for us. I still feel that weight, but it\u2019s also a huge inspiration for me.\u201d <\/p>\n Now, Hernandez has made it her mission to inspire others. <\/p>\n We can\u2019t wait to see how Hernandez shapes the industry in the years to come. <\/p>\n Editor\u2019s Note: Hop Culture will be starting a new bi-monthly feature called Varsity Brews, which will profile a new MJF recipient every other month. Keep your eyes peeled for the first in the series featuring Gali Hernandez dropping soon!<\/em><\/p>\n Co-Founders, Match Point Brewing<\/em><\/p>\n 2024 Brewbound Live Pitch Slam semifinalists Simon Chen and Johnny Weng opened Match Point Brewing<\/a> in Albany, CA, with the goal of fostering community through friendly competition. <\/p>\n Doubles tennis partners at Albany High School, Chen and Weng believe that sports, much like beer, can serve as a focal point for bringing people together and sharing stories and memories. <\/p>\n Which could explain the brewery\u2019s name and tagline, \u201cGame-changing beers crafted with pride and purpose.\u201d <\/p>\n Beers like a Jasmine Rice Lager, Mandarin Wheat Ale, and Vietnamese Coffee Lager also display some of Chen and Weng\u2019s backgrounds and heritages. <\/p>\n In last year\u2019s piece, you may have seen us profile the Korean-owned and inspired Dokkaebier<\/a>. We loved seeing how founder Youngwon Lee incorporated ingredients such as kimchi into his beers. <\/p>\n We\u2019re encouraged to see more breweries like Match Point popping up on the scene.<\/p>\n Learn More<\/a><\/p>\n Brewmaster, Brooklyn Brewery<\/em><\/p>\n Photography courtesy of Brooklyn Brewery<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Groundbreaking Brooklyn Brewery Brewmaster Garrett Oliver celebrated his thirtieth year at the brewery last year. <\/p>\n For over three decades, the James Beard Award-winning brewmaster has changed the shape of the industry, breaking barriers and starting initiatives like The Michael James Jackson Foundation for Brewing & Distilling.<\/p>\n How could Oliver celebrate his belief in beer\u2019s power to unite people, cultures, and traditions while leaving a lasting legacy with a tangible impact on the future?<\/p>\n Rolled out through 2024, Brewing for Impact<\/a> brought together a coalition of brewing partners around the world\u2014Maison Kalao from Senegal, Thornbridge in the U.K., Omnipollo in Sweden, Carlsberg in Denmark, Russian River in California, Jing-A in China, Guinness in Ireland, and, of course, Brooklyn Brewery in New York\u2014to brew a series of collaboration beers with a versatile, climate-resistant West African grain called fonio.<\/p>\n Oliver doesn\u2019t quite know how to put it, but he says with Brewing for Impact, \u201cI\u2019m connecting all the pieces of me together in this project as a brewer [and] as an African American.\u201d<\/p>\n According to Oliver, it was essential for him to work on a project that showed the common misconceptions about the history of beer.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you look at the way we approach brewing in the United States and the West, the folks that we always think of as the progenitor of our great brewing culture are folks like this,\u201d says Oliver, pointing to a sign of a Victorian-era British beer called Joule\u2019s Stone Ale and Royal Stout over his left shoulder before switching to his right shoulder to show the artwork of an African woman. \u201cIn fact, it\u2019s her.\u201d<\/p>\n Oliver explains that beer brewing in sub-Saharan Africa<\/a>, along with Sumeria and parts of China as well, probably dates back beyond 2500 B.C. \u201cAmericans and other Western societies tend to [think of] beer as \u2018European,\u2019 [but] this, if nothing else, is simply historically false,\u201d says Oliver. \u201cIt\u2019s the beer equivalent of claiming that Elvis Presley invented rock and roll. But to this day, the vast majority of Americans think Elvis wrote \u2018Hound Dog\u2019 and have never heard of Willa Mae Thornton<\/a>; this is galling, to say the least\u2014no less in beer than in other areas of culture.\u201d <\/p>\n Candidly, he says there\u2019s a reason his Zoom background includes representations of both English and African cultures. <\/p>\n \u201cOf course, as Westerners, we largely brew in Western styles and with Western ingredients. There\u2019s nothing wrong with that, and I obviously love traditional European beers,\u201d he says. \u201cBut we are missing out on other flavors and, in the case of fonio, excellent brewing grains that can be used to bring bright new flavors and deeper sustainability to our beer culture.\u201d<\/p>\n He continues, \u201cI think that fonio is the best one I\u2019ve ever seen.\u201d<\/p>\n The five-thousand-year-old miracle grain has been cultivated in West Africa for thousands of years. \u201cIt could be the oldest cultivated grain in Africa,\u201d wrote Pierre Thiam, chef and founder of Yol\u00e9l\u00e9<\/a>, a company focused on making edible products with fonio. <\/p>\n Packed with nutritional amino acids not found in other grains, such as barley, rice, and wheat, fonio is also highly resilient. <\/p>\n \u201cIt can mature within two months, so farmers know that they can rely on fonio when other crops fail to grow, which is why it\u2019s also nicknamed \u2018hungry rice,\u2019\u201d wrote Thiam in an email to Hop Culture. <\/p>\n Despite all these wonderful attributes, incredible local grains like fonio are often considered substandard in the West. And when they are prized (read: quinoa quagmire), they\u2019re frequently co-opted and industrialized. <\/p>\n Brewing for Impact, like Yol\u00e9l\u00e9, pays African farmers a fair price for the grains they use to brew. <\/p>\n \u201cWe in the West generally come and take things,\u201d Oliver explains. \u201cHere\u2019s an opportunity to give something back to these communities. \u2026 On every level, culture, social justice, environment, flavor, and ease of use, fonio basically ticks every box.\u201d <\/p>\n Oliver\u2019s project garnered plenty of attention last year, with Brewbound naming Brooklyn Brewery\u2019s Fonio Rising pale ale the Brewbound 2024 Product of the Year<\/a>. <\/p>\n What\u2019s in store for Oliver\u2019s thirty-first year? <\/p>\n We expect more big things. <\/p>\n Read More<\/a><\/p>\n Beverage and Food Writer<\/em><\/p>\n Photography courtesy of Ruvani de Silva<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Time for a little humble brag. <\/p>\n British Sri Lankan freelancer Ruvani de Silva has written several pieces for Hop Culture. Most recently, her piece \u201cPatagonia Provisions Launches First National Regenerative Organic Certified\u00ae Kernza\u00ae Brewing Project<\/a>\u201d picked up gold from The British Guild of Beer Writers for the Best Communication about Sustainability in Beer and Pubs. <\/p>\n In a banner year for the incredible writer who never shies away from tackling subjects of race, sustainability, and boundary-breaking in our industry, de Silva racked up five awards, including The Michael Jackson Award for Beer Writer of the Year. <\/p>\n \u201cNo writer has improved more year on year than Ruvani,\u201d said former Beer Writer of the Year and British Guild of Beer Writers Chair of Judges David Jesudason in a press release<\/a>. \u201cShe shows how learning, listening, and educating yourself are the three most important steps to being an accomplished journalist. Without Ruvani\u2019s work, vital voices in the beer world would never have been heard.\u201d <\/p>\n We\u2019ve been absolutely honored to work with de Silva over the last few years and are so excited to see what subjects she\u2019ll tackle in 2025. <\/p>\n Hit the button below to read her gold-medal-winning piece! <\/p>\n Read More<\/a><\/p>\n CEO and Founder, Cajun Fire Brewing Company<\/em><\/p>\n Equipment and capital are the two highest barriers to entry in the craft beer industry, especially for underrepresented communities. To help Brewers of Color overcome these hurdles, the National Black Brewers Association (NB2A)<\/a> introduced the Brewing Equipment Donation Grant Program last year.<\/p>\n The initiative aims to connect Black and Brown brewers with seasoned, often expensive equipment donated from breweries who no longer need it.<\/p>\n In 2024, Cajun Fire Brewing in New Orleans received a twenty-barrel brewhouse generously donated by Russian River Brewing Company, and Montclair Brewery in New Jersey took over a packaging line supplied by the now-closed Optimism Brewing in Seattle, WA.<\/p>\n As a press release from the NB2A stated, this was more than just an equipment donation; \u201cthis is a powerful reminder of the collective strength within the brewing community to lift each other up and create lasting change.\u201d<\/p>\n Cajun Fire Brewing CEO and Founder Jon Renthrope has spent years building his business. <\/p>\n A serial entrepreneur who started selling CDs in high school in the early 2000s, Renthrope discovered homebrewing in college at the University of Florida. Apprenticing at NOLA Brewing under former president and CEO Kirk Coco, Renthrope eventually set out on his own, entering competitions and showcasing at beer festivals.<\/p>\n Starting Cajun Fire in 2011, Renthrope once told me he had \u201cgotten too far from the lighthouse financially to swim back.\u201d<\/p>\n But for the first Black-owned beer company in the Southern U.S., Renthrope, also Native American, says finding a place in this space has been the biggest challenge.<\/p>\n Despite raising over $900,000 for his community through Cajun Fire, Renthrope says not one bank agreed to give him a loan. He has paid for everything out-of-pocket. \u201cA lot of disparities still exist in those institutions,\u201d he says, noting these are the types of straight-up systemic hurdles he experienced as a Black brewery owner. \u201cJust being anything that ain\u2019t heterosexual, white, or male, anything of ownership, even like women of any creed [or] color, you got your cards stacked [against you] \u2026 you\u2019re not really accepted at face value and \u2026 you got to jump through all kinds of hoops and hurdles.\u201d<\/p>\n Eventually, Renthrope purchased a fourteen-acre commercial development in East New Orleans off I-10, planning to open a cultural hub with a museum preserving local art and culture, a ghost kitchen available to underrepresented food business owners, and a Cajun Fire taproom as the anchor.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re building one of the largest food and beverage tourist attractions in Louisiana,\u201d says Renthrope. \u201cBut it\u2019s been a hell of a ride.\u201d<\/p>\n Several years later, Renthrope still hasn\u2019t broken ground. In the meantime, we previously reported<\/a> how people vandalized the property, stole fencing, and destroyed signs. (Renthrope says he eventually stopped buying new ones because they cost him $600-$800 each time.)<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m a market disruptor,\u201d says Renthrope, who seemed to shrug all these incidents off as just par for the course.<\/p>\n Despite all the challenges, Renthrope remains optimistic, mentioning how important this equipment donation will be for his business.<\/p>\n \u201cThe impact this is going to have on my general livelihood, as well as my family and my staff, should not be understated,\u201d says Renthrope in his soothing Southern drawl. \u201cThat this is the [system] that made Pliny the Elder, that\u2019s the cherry on top.\u201d<\/p>\n Renthrope, who hopes to open his cultural hub by the end of 2025 or early 2026, plans to use the old Russian River brewhouse to make some of Cajun Fire\u2019s premier beers. <\/p>\n Needless to say, we\u2019re thrilled to hopefully see Renthrope bring this dream and cultural icon to reality this year or next. <\/p>\n Read More<\/a><\/p>\n Founder, Pints for Prostates and Denver Rare Beer Tasting<\/em><\/p>\n Pints for Prostates Founder Rick Lyke (first from the right) celebrating his fifteenth Denver Rare Beer Tasting | Photography courtesy of Magic Muncie | Hop Culture<\/p>\n<\/div>\n At first blush, Denver Rare Beer Tasting<\/a> may seem what it says: a festival that has taken place tangentially to the Great American Beer Festival (GABF), offering some of the rarest beer in the country. <\/p>\n But you need to look a little closer. You need to notice the tent outside the entrance, where people roll up their sleeves to get their blood drawn. <\/p>\n You need to start speaking to the brewers, who have all donated their beer. <\/p>\n And you need to meet Rick Lyke. He\u2019s the man running around from table to table, shaking people\u2019s hands, smiling, talking, and laughing. <\/p>\n Lyke is also a cancer survivor. And his one goal in life is to save as many others as possible: one Pint for Prostates at a time. <\/p>\n At forty-seven years old, Pints for Prostates Founder Rick Lyke was diagnosed with prostate cancer. <\/p>\n He caught it early. <\/p>\n Thanks to his friend Michael Cunningham, who had stage four prostate cancer and started \u201cencouraging every guy he knew to get screened,\u201d says Lyke. \u201cMy doctor didn\u2019t even want me to do the PSA blood test because he said my insurance wouldn\u2019t cover it.\u201d <\/p>\n But spurred by his friend, Lyke insisted, telling his doctor, \u201cWe\u2019re doing the test.\u201d<\/p>\n Diagnosed in late 2007, Lyke traveled to Chicago for surgery in 2008, thinking about how he could do what his friend did for him. How could he pay it forward? <\/p>\n A week after the surgery, Lyke\u2019s wife asked him: Hey, are you serious about this Pints for Prostates? <\/p>\n Lyke looked at her dumbfounded, \u201cI don\u2019t even know what you\u2019re talking about.\u201d <\/p>\n Turns out that while medicated, Lyke had shared an idea: Pints for Prostates, an organization that, through beer, would raise money and awareness around prostate cancer. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m one of those believers,\u201d he told me. \u201cWhatever you say when you\u2019re drunk, you should do when you\u2019re sober.\u201d <\/p>\n Today, Pints for Prostates hosts events like Denver Rare Beer Tasting to bring awareness to early detection. <\/p>\n \u201cProstate cancer is virtually one hundred percent survivable when detected early,\u201d says Lyke, noting that 35,000 people with a prostate will die from prostate cancer this year. \u201cThat\u2019s really frustrating \u2026 [because] those are our dads, our brothers, our colleagues, our friends.\u201d <\/p>\n Early detection is critical. But going to the doctor isn\u2019t much fun. <\/p>\n Going to a beer festival, however? Well, we all know that sounds much more enjoyable. <\/p>\n At a Pints for Prostates event, you just walk over to a tent, roll up your sleeves, and get tested. \u201cIt takes five minutes,\u201d says Lyke. \u201cAnd it\u2019s free.\u201d <\/p>\n Plus, Breweries donate all of the beer, meaning one hundred percent of all ticket sales can go straight to Pints for Prostates, with a portion of those dollars going to the Prostate Conditions Education Council, which organizes free men\u2019s health screening clinics across the country.<\/p>\n Last year, Pints for Prostates<\/a> raised $74,723, increasing its total to $2,177,055 all-time.<\/p>\n With Pints for Prostates, Lyke has done something rare. He\u2019s taken something uncomfortable and unspoken about and brought it front and center to young people. <\/p>\n \u201cIt struck me when I was forty-seven years old,\u201d says Lyke. \u201cIt\u2019s not an old man\u2019s disease.\u201d <\/p>\n According to Lyke, one in eight people born with a prostate will develop prostate cancer in their lifetime.<\/p>\n That\u2019s anyone<\/em> with a prostate, whether you\u2019re male, nonbinary, or trans. <\/p>\n \u201cI wish I had a dollar for every time somebody said to me that you don\u2019t die from prostate cancer,\u201d says Lyke. \u201c[Anyone with a prostate] can die with prostate cancer.\u201d <\/p>\n Lyke urges that \u201cit\u2019s not like when your grandfather had prostate cancer.\u201d <\/p>\n The survivability rate is way up, the surgeries have vastly improved, and the side effects people used to worry about can be avoided, especially with early detection. <\/p>\n But there\u2019s no way around it: getting yourself checked as soon as possible is the key. <\/p>\n Lyke could not stress this enough. At the end of the day, Pints for Prostates and Denver Rare Beer have one goal: to prevent unnecessary deaths from prostate cancer. <\/p>\n So, if you see that guy with a vast grin walking up and down the line, encouraging you to step over for just five minutes, don\u2019t think twice about it. <\/p>\n \u201cHey, you\u2019ve got a prostate,\u201d says Lyke. \u201cGet screened and take care of your health.\u201d<\/p>\n And then go drink some of the rarest beer you\u2019ll ever find. <\/p>\n Seems like a win-win. <\/p>\nHop Culture\u2019s 14 People to Watch in Craft Beer in 2025<\/p>\n
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Vinny Rosario<\/h3>\n<\/h2>\n<\/h2>\n
![\"moonwake](\"http:\/\/www.hopculture.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/moonwake-brewing-team-credit-james-porteous-LEAD.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"moonwake](\"http:\/\/www.hopculture.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/moonwake-brewing-co-founder-vinnie-rosario3-credit-grace-lee-weitz-hop-culture-1000x667-1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nChristina Thomas<\/h3>\n
![\"brown](\"http:\/\/www.hopculture.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/brown-girls-brew-founder-christina-thomas-credit-brown-girls-brew-LEAD-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nRay Biebuyck<\/h3>\n
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Day Bracey<\/h3>\n
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Leon Loza Sr. & Leon Loza Jr.<\/h3>\n
![\"loza](\"http:\/\/www.hopculture.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/loza-farms-farm-manager-leon-loza-jr2-credit-loza-farms-1000x667-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\nGali Hernandez<\/h3>\n
![\"michael](\"http:\/\/www.hopculture.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/michael-james-jackson-foundation-recipient-grimm-artisanal-ales-brewer-galadriel-hernandez2-credit-miguel-rivas-1000x667-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\nSimon Chen and Johnny Weng<\/h3>\n
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Garrett Oliver<\/h3>\n
![\"brooklyn](\"http:\/\/www.hopculture.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/brooklyn-brewery-garrett-oliver-fonio-brewing-for-impact5-1000x563-1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nRuvani de Silva<\/h3>\n
![\"ruvani](\"http:\/\/www.hopculture.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Ruvani-de-Silva-819x1024.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nJon Renthrope<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.hopculture.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/cajun-fire-founder-ceo-head-brewer-jon-renthrope-credit-cajun-fire-1000x930-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\nRick Lyke<\/h3>\n
![\"denver](\"http:\/\/www.hopculture.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/denver-rare-beer-tasting-pints-for-prostates-co-founder-rick-lyke-credit-pints-for-prostates-1000x750-1.jpg\")
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![\"human](\"http:\/\/www.hopculture.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/human-robot-jog-jammin-III-17-credit-jose-manchola-@yankeerunner77-LEAD7.jpg\")
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