N.C. brewers unite against anti-LGBT law
Backlash over North Carolina's anti-LGBT law has spread to the state's craft brewers.
Rather than rant, Mystery Brewing Company in Hillsborough, N.C., and Ponysaurus Brewing Company in Durham, N.C., are letting their craft do the talking with a special beer called "Don't Be Mean to People: A Golden Rule Saison."
Described as a "bright farmhouse ale made with 100% North Carolina grown and malted grain, and North Carolina sorghum molasses," Golden Rule Saison has garnered more than $22,000 in donations on Indiegogo's Generosity free crowd-fundraising site over the past two days. Donors have signed up for special brewery tours, brewing sessions, their names on beer cans, T-shirts, beer glasses and six-packs in fast enough numbers that the brewers surpassed their initial $15,000 goal.
"I think we have been a little bit surprised in terms of the size of the response, but this is what we hoped for," said Ponysaurus owner and brewmaster Keil Jansen. "We are finding that people are more generous and more supportive than we thought."
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After the state passed House Bill 2, which is also known as the "bathroom law" because it regulates which public restrooms may be used by transgender individuals and prevents LGBT individuals to sue over human rights violations in the workplace, Jansen and Mystery founder and head brewer Erik Lars Myers "were angry," they say on the fundraising site.
"We see this beer as a means to an end and a social statement. We've seen businesses, municipalities, and even rock legends from around the country punish North Carolina for passing this law," they wrote. "We've seen business expansions and job opportunities pull out of the state. We see that our communities are being harmed by this action."
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The brewers plan to begin brewing the Golden Rule Saison this weekend and expect to have cans to donors and the participating breweries in about four weeks, Jansen said in an interview Wednesday. Any profits from the beer will go to advocacy group Equality NC and QORDS LGBT summer camp program.
More than three dozen other state brewers and bars have pledged support, too. "We think this is succeeding because we are giving everybody a chance to include their voice in this," Jansen said.
"What is easy is to make a batch of beer. What gets people's attention is what we have 35 to 40 breweries .... everybody in the state from tiny, little nanobreweries in really rural parts of the state all the way up to New Belgium Brewing Co. (the Fort Collins, Colo. brewer, which is opening a brewery in Asheville) which is one of the largest breweries in the United States and is internationally known," he said. "They all are on board here and we can all say this together."
North Carolina is one of several burgeoning craft beer meccas in the U.S. In addition to more local and regional breweries, large craft brewers such as Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Oskar Blues Brewery and New Belgium have expanded into the state. Craft beer accounts for more than 10,000 jobs in the state and a $1.2 billion economic impact, the brewers say.
Rather than condemn the law, they say they hope to improve the situation and educate consumers. In response to bans against the state, Myers hopes that outsiders realize "the punishments being levied against North Carolina hurt everybody not just those making the poor decisions. Hopefully people can change their focus and support businesses doing good stuff and support people who are trying to make a difference here and save their punishments for people who deserve it."
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