Colorado State University creates peach cobbler beer to celebrate Black History Month
To wrap up celebrations of Black History Month, fermentation students at Colorado State University are now selling peach cobbler beer at the on-campus brewery. The beer being sold at the Ramskellar was inspired by Black and African American students on campus.
"They came up with a theme of a peach cobbler beer," said John Wilson, associate professor at CSU.
Wilson said he loved working on a beer that honored his Black community and their role in the brewing industry.
"When I think of peach cobbler, I think about something that was made special in a time of abundance," Wilson said. "Beer with purpose is the reason we are brewing beer. You never ferment just for yourself. You are fermenting for you family, neighbors or everyone in that region."
The peach cobbler beer took about two weeks to ferment before being finalized for sale.
"It is one of our bestselling beers right now," Wilson said.
The beer has tastes of biscuits, honey, peach, mango and even pie crust.
Wilson said he hoped creating a beer that paid homage to the Black community would also help diverse students flock toward the craft.
"In order for us to create beers that are meaningful and powerful to the community, we need representation within the industry," Wilson said.
Wilson said many people track brewing back to White men like Sam Adams. However, he said it was African American slaves who were the original people to brew the beer by hand.
"(White men) weren't the ones who were actually growing the grains, mashing them and doing the labor and hard work. It was typically the labor of the enslaved," Wilson said. "We were integral in helping develop it and making it part of American culture."
Wilson's team also made a special soda for students who do not or cannot drink beer. He said his students are also working on a Mexican lager for the spring.
"Hopefully with the students engaging in the brewery and the creative process of designing the beer, they may feel inspired to make this a part of their career path," Wilson said.
