A statement of intent from our first Wayfinder
Our first Wayfinder, Lily Waite, provides an update on how things have been going a month into the residency and what’s next for The Queer Brewing Project.
I started The Queer Brewing Project 18 months ago to provide greater visibility for LGBTQ+ people within and around the beer world, to create meaningful change via the vehicle of beer, and to fundraise for brilliant and important charities. So far, Queer Brewing has just been run by myself, on a small budget reliant on the kindness and generosity of those who want to see change within the beer industry. Over that 18 months or so, I’ve brewed a not-insignificant number of beers, with friends and strangers alike. I’ve brewed beer in Colorado and Crewe, in Norway and New York, and I’ve raised a lot of money for those charities.
Though the support has been phenomenal, there have been times when keeping the project running has felt insurmountable. Outside of my role as a pseudo-brewer, I work as a beer writer, photographer, and ceramicist, and spinning so many plates (pun intended) has felt difficult at times, and impossible at others. This summer, for example - due to the then-growing pandemic and the loss of my grandfather - felt like an end to the project. I didn’t brew a beer for four months, and everything looked to be fizzling out. If it were to continue, and thrive, the project needed an impetus, an injection of energy and conviction.
And then along came the Wayfinder project: an opportunity to work with one of the most innovative and conscientious breweries in the industry, undertaking and directing meaningful change work. Here was an opportunity to, with the assistance and guidance of a highly-experienced team, build Queer Brewing into something bigger, more impactful, and with a broader scope for change. With Cloudwater’s collective experience, privileges, knowledge, and resources, here was an opportunity to build a highly-visible, meaningful beer brand, with the capacity to provide employment to those who often feel othered by craft beer’s cisgender, heterosexual, white, male majority. If there was ever going to be an impetus to step Queer Brewing up a level, this was it.
In the 5 or so weeks I’ve been working with Cloudwater, my vision for Queer Brewing has changed. What once felt like a pipe dream - having a regular output of beer, plans for expansion, taking craft beer in new directions - now feels like a reality. Through the proffering of different perspectives than my own (often previously lacking, given my role as the sole member of the project), and the guidance of Paul and others in the team, Queer Brewing has gathered some much-needed momentum. As well as this, my partner Charlotte has joined the Queer Brewing team, providing support and assistance in sustaining this momentum.
This week sees the launch of the first collaboration brewed under the Wayfinder project. Unlike other collaborations, which have all so far existed as stand-alone, one-off beers, this beer will serve as a pilot batch of sorts, a way to hone and refine a recipe before reworking and re-releasing under Queer Brewing’s own branding, as well as gauging demand. Named Statement of Intent, this Witbier is us planting a flag in the ground: Queer Brewing will be bringing to the table full-flavoured, easily-approachable beers with reference to the context of history and tradition in which they sit, brewed with queer people in mind.
We’re excited to be working on a core range with the team at Cloudwater, consisting of the above wit, an easy-drinking, approachable pilsner, and a soft, hazy pale ale. These aren’t flashy hype beers, but beers that have the ease of drinking and gentle flavour that can win anyone round. As well as looking toward the craft beer market, we’re also looking to approach LGBTQ+ venues and queer spaces, to bridge the gap between craft beer specialism, and drinking whatever is on tap. By doing so, we’re hoping to make the beer world a little more approachable to those outside, and a little more, well, queer on the inside.
These core beers - which will be in steady supply, something that fans of Queer Brewing will know has been an issue in the past - will remain only part of what we do. The collaborations that got the project to where it is will remain a big focus, continuing to take up space, build community, and raise money for vital LGBTQ+ organisations. With the core range taking care of the approachability and easy-drinking side of things, these collabs can focus on the more exciting, attention-grabbing beers. Barleywine, anyone?
As well as working with the team to build up this readily-available core range, and build Queer Brewing into a working beer brand, we’re also working on putting together and providing resources for those who might be interested in a career in beer, but feel deterred by a lack of representation or community. If, five years ago, you’d have shown me a video of a trans woman talking about brewing, I’d have immediately felt a lot more comfortable exploring a career in beer than I was.
It sometimes feels a little overwhelming, being handed the platform of a brewery like Cloudwater to develop a project that’s so close to my heart. It’s also a little daunting, being the first to take the reins and work on this groundbreaking programme. It is, though, an incredible opportunity, and one I’m beyond excited to see develop after my time with Cloudwater has elapsed. I’m coming to the Wayfinder project very much from within the beer world and with a project centred around beer, but perhaps the most exciting unknown is seeing what the next Wayfinders do with their residencies, especially those that aren’t wholly beer-oriented. By opening their doors and inviting people in to stand on their shoulders, with no prescription for direction or format, Cloudwater are exploring a new way to create change. And the beer world can only grow and change for the better.