Fresh Fest diversifies the craft brewing scene

dark beer,” said New Castle’s Terry McAnallen without a hint of irony as he and his wife, Mary, sampled a basket of cans and bottles with people of all sorts. “You know what I noticed?” she said. “The ages — younger people to older people. ... It’s just people who love craft beer.”

Mr. Bracey and Mr. Bailey did a live podcast featuring Harlem Brewing owner and brewer Celeste Beatty and Chris Harris, owner and brewer at Toledo’s Black Frog Brewery. During the episode, which should be available online in about a month, they talked frankly, and with some frolic, about the challenges and the joys of being trailblazers in an industry where, out of 6,000 breweries, only about 50 are blackownedand -run.

When an audience member asked the brewers why a minority community would want to support craft beer, Ms. Beatty replied, “Because more than likely, craft beer is a product that’s going to supportthe community.”

She loved that this fest allowed her to meet face-to-face with brewers and others she’d only talked to online. “It’s been like a reunion.” But they were doing business, too, and talking about starting a minority brewers guild to more formally support each other — one that will launch this year, said Mr. Potter. One of his goals for the fest was to connect more minorities to the booming business that is craft beer, and so to that end, Fresh Fest paired black entrepreneurs, artists, musicians and more with 25 local breweries to cook up creative “collaboration beers” just for the event.

Few were more creative than For the Cookout, a barbecue beer made with mesquite-smoked malt, habanero and honey by West Newton’s Bloom Brew, two versions of which were infused with different barbecue sauces. Owner and brewer Jeff Bloom collaborated with Cocoapreneur, a black business consultancy and directory run by Khamil Scantling, and like the other collaborators, they shared a table.

While he encouraged attendees, “Don’t fear the beer,” she talked with those brave enough to come to the table about everything from the beer to business on what turned out to be — weatherwise,too — a beautiful night.

“It’s just more to get a blend of cultures,” Ms. Scantling said, “and kind of realize, we all have the same pursuits in life.”