The North American Guild of Beer Writers has selected five journalists to receive a Diversity in Beer Writing Grant for 2024. Now in its seventh year, the grant supports stories that showcase diversity and inclusion—in all its forms and challenges—within beer.
The Grant receives support from CraftBeer.com, a website published by the Brewers Association; and Allagash Brewing Company. After receiving the greatest number of applications yet, the grant will fund the work of the following journalists. These pieces will be published at craftbeer.com:
Grace Weitz
What would it be like to have top surgery as a brewery employee? This article chronicles the fears, challenges, emotions, and hurdles that workers experience while recovering from gender-affirming surgery while working a physically demanding job.
Christine Ma-Kellams
Suchwita, the latest variety show by BTS’s rapper-songwriter Suga, is premised on the idea that he invites famous Koreans (K-pop idols, K-drama actors, professional soccer players, and fellow members of BTS) to talk about their careers—but each guest must bring their own drink to share. Featured drinks have included makgeolli; Sikhye, a non-alcoholic cocktail popular during Lunar New Year; a French wheat beer named 1664 Blanc; and two beer-soju cocktails. This article puts guests’ beverage choices on the show in the context of global cultural exchange, and introduces an American audience to some of these drinks they may not be familiar with.
Eloise Stark
The Most Illegal Beer, launched on 8th March 2024, purports to break the laws of 50 countries worldwide, simply because it is made by women. (In Lebanon, they would be arrested for producing alcohol. In Russia, for carrying heavy loads.) To denounce these absurd laws, and critique gender inequality at large, women from all over the world joined together to make this beer with the help of Vagabond Brauerai in Vienna. This reported story uses The Most Illegal Beer to illustrate that, while alcohol laws around the world may seem apolitical, they’re actually often quite political.
Jenny Allison
Who’s drinking non-alcoholic beer? This podcast episode speaks to non-alcoholic beer consumers from a broad range of backgrounds, geographies, ages, locations, etc. about why they drink NA beer, diving into what they like about it, what they don’t, and what else they drink besides non-alcoholic beer. Are narratives about NA drinkers correct, or is there more nuance than the industry and media assumes?
Amanda Garland
Homebrewing as a hobby is in rocky waters—and women homebrew leaders and judges are injecting energy and new ideas to try to save it. Homebrew club membership has been declining in recent years, but increasingly, women are some of the hobby’s most vocal proponents. From AHA director Julia Herz to BJCP president Sandy Cockerham to various women who lead local homebrew clubs, this article explores the vision that these women leaders have for their hobby’s future.