2021 in Review

As we look back on 2021, we are so grateful for the community that we are a part of and serve. We formed the Reuben’s Brews Foundation in 2020 in order to support the work begin done by our community and to fill gaps where our experience allowed, and we want to take a moment to reflect on what we’ve accomplished throughout 2021 with your help and support.

Mosaic State Brewers Collective

Our first initiative to come out of the Foundation was the development and implementation  Mosaic State Brewers Collective, a mentoring program created in collaboration with our friends at Métier Brewing Company. Mosaic State works to strengthen and diversify the brewing industry by empowering underrepresented people to build careers in beer. Through one-on-one mentoring with leading industry professionals and through hands-on learning across all aspects of the beer industry, participants are getting a foothold in the industry from which to propel their careers. The first cohort of mentees crafted a special beer, a chicory stout called Lily of the Nile, a collaboration with MSBC brewed at Métier Brewing Company.

Foundation Series of Beers

Because we are stronger together, we have fostered some wonderful partnerships to amplify our impact. We were able to put our expertise in brewing beer to work in supporting these causes that we are passionate about:

• We released Crush Hunger in support of Zero Hunger Zero Waste who help unlock critical food access in our communities, including our own very local Ballard Food Bank.
• We brewed Reuben’s Crush Cancer again this year in loving memory of our former brewer, Dean Mochizuki. We were fortunate to work again with our friends at Roy Farms and Yakima Chief Hops on the beer to support the very important work of Cancer Pathways in providing education, support, and community for patients, loved ones, and friends.
• Ombili IPA is a collaboration we brewed with our friends at Métier Brewing Company to fund the launch of Mosaic State Brewers Collective, the mentoring program to help people of color enter and advance in the brewing industry (see above). We were fortunate to have the support of our friends at John I Haas, Roy Farms, Gambrinus Malting, Skagit Valley Malting, and Kennedy Group to be able to maximize the impact from this brew.
• Brave Noise started with a simple question on Twitter: “Have you ever experienced sexism in the beer industry?” The overwhelming response sparked a reckoning within the industry and led to a brave noise that swelled throughout the world. To maintain the momentum, honor those who shared their experience, and bring further awareness, we released a beer under the moniker to raise awareness and funds for RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network).
• You Are Not Alone returned to help support the great work being done by our friends at Big Table. They have been instrumental in providing much-needed support and transformational care for workers in the restaurant and hospitality industry.
• Once again we partnered with our friends and neighbors in the Ballard Brewed Coalitionon a collaboration beer called (You Should) Smile More which raised crucial funds to support the Pink Boots Society, which empowers women in the beer industry through education.

Thank You Thursday Program

Our long-running and much loved Thank You Thursday program changed slightly over the course of the year in order to offer a deeper partnership with our partnering organization. Since its inception in 2013, our Thank You Thursday program has provided us with the opportunity to partner with and support different neighborhood nonprofit organizations every week.

Thank you to those in our community who contributed to the various drives we hosted to provide much-needed supplies for our community partners:

• School Supplies to support the work of Communities in Schools
• Supplies for cats in the MEOW shelter
• Food Drive for our new neighbors at Ballard Food Bank
• Toy Drive to stock the Holiday Room at Wellspring Family Services

Over the years we have raised over $150,000 through this program, one pint at a time.

Seattle Pride

We are a proud sponsor of Seattle Pride 2021. We recognize that the message and mission of Pride transcends a single month and we are proud to support our friends, family, colleagues, and our community all year long.

We at Reuben’s Brews and the Reuben’s Brews Foundation thank you for your support and wish you all the best in 2022! The best is yet to come!