Oak Park Brewing Co. is throwing open its doors Saturday for a celebration of National Black Brewers Day, pouring rare beers from Black-owned breweries across the country alongside a rib cook-off, live music and line dancing at its Broadway taproom in Sacramento.
The event runs from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday at 3514 Broadway, with tickets priced at $45, according to the Sacramento Bee. Attendees can get unlimited tastings from Acheson Wine Company, Bike Dog Brewing and Urban Roots, the latter a Southside Park taproom and restaurant known for its house-brewed beers and smokehouse barbecue that has operated near the California State Capitol since 2018, as detailed in Hoodline's earlier profile of the brewery.
The centerpiece of the afternoon is a rare beer tasting tent hosted by the National Black Brewers Association, serving hard-to-find brews from Black-owned breweries around the country, per the Bee. Pours will include beer from Brown Soul Brewing Co., Mack Brewing Co., Crowns & Hops, Vine Street Brewing, Soul Mega and Rhythm Brewing Co. Oak Park Brewing's creative director, Becca Scott, offered a statement about the celebration, which the Bee describes as honoring the culture, creativity and contributions of Black brewers.
A Holiday Rooted in a 1970 Milestone
Sacramento officially recognized Black Brewers Day as a commemorative event in 2023.
The National Black Brewers Association marks October 10 as National Black Brewers Day, per the National Black Brewers Association. In Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Theodore A. “Ted” Mack Sr. and his partners purchased Peoples Brewing Company on the 12th of April 1970, according to St. HOPE. Peoples Brewing of Oshkosh was the nation's first Black-owned beer company, a legacy that connects directly to Sacramento: by March 2020, Peoples Beer was being brewed and sold through Oak Park Brewing after Theodore “Ted” Mack Jr. met with the brewery's brewmasters the previous month. The historic Wisconsin brand had returned to market nearly 50 years after it ceased operations.
Sacramento's Place in a National Push
The National Black Brewers Association itself was founded in 2023 by former NBA player and Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, who co-owns Oak Park Brewery, with the goal of promoting and increasing representation among Black brewery owners and brewmasters nationwide. Beyond California, at least 16 state, county and city governments — including Illinois, Louisiana, Washington, Atlanta, Cleveland and New Orleans — had officially designated October 10 as National Black Brewers Day as of 2024, the association notes. The association encourages people to enlist local legislators in support of the day.
The industry gap the holiday aims to address remains stark. Black people accounted for 0.4% of brewery owners surveyed in 2021 and 1% in the 2019 survey, despite Black Americans representing roughly 12% of beer consumers nationwide, according to demographic benchmark surveys from the Brewers Association. Industry analysts cite systemic barriers to startup capital and historic economic inequities as primary drivers of that disparity.
Access to capital remains a barrier for Black business owners. National fundraising efforts have tried to chip away at that gap: the National Black Brewers Association's “Black is Beautiful Vol. 2” collaboration directed $1 from every sale toward Black brewing equity, according to VinePair.
Saturday's Celebration
Saturday's event is ticketed, with doors open from 3 to 7 p.m. for tastings, ribs and music.
