BROCKTON — Five Brockton friends are trying to diversify the brewing industry by creating unique flavors at Brockton Beer Company.
“Barley, wheat and oats,” said Julian Miller, explaining what goes into a batch of beer.
The science behind the brew has always fascinated Miller, but customers are often surprised to see it at Brockton Beer Co.'s brewery.
“You don't see a person of color all the time — here — that's actually producing it,” he said.
CBS Boston
From light ales and New England IPAs to sours and ales, Brockton Beer Co. With five friends, including Eval Silveira.
“We would have board game nights with about 10 of us, like sit around the table and have some drinks and have some beers,” Silveira said.
They were all from diverse backgrounds: Canada, Jamaica, Haiti, and the Philippines. When the city of Brockton wanted to revitalize downtown, Silveira and his friends wanted to bring their sense of community to Main Street, steps from the historic Liberty Tree — a major subway station.
“You go to some of these breweries, and I love the beer they were making, but obviously you look around and there aren't a lot of people that look like me,” Silvera explained.
it's the truth. Of the 233 breweries in Massachusetts, only five are black-owned, according to the Massachusetts Brewers Guild.
Getting started was tough, Silvera said.
“I think it's about access to capital,” he said. “It's not always easy to get a loan as a person of color.”
The group is a community crowd. Small donations combined to make a big impact. Now, these brewers have taken advantage of their customers and their flavors reflect their cultures, using flavors like mango and calamansi in their beers.
Silvera started homebrewing years ago. In his taproom, he wants to introduce the Black and Brown community to craft beer.
“Outside, it's mostly white, I mean we all know that. But here, it's like people are more engaged, and kind of surprised to see me,” Miller said.
This is how Silveira and his crew believe they can diversify the craft beer industry. By giving more people an idea of what they can do.
“They get a chance to see who we are, not just through the beer we make, but just culturally, who we are as well,” he said.
