This conversation is part of the Unplated series, a collection of interviews with folks whose work intersects with food, but who work outside culinary spheres. My hope is that these conversations not only spark your curiosity, but help you think about how what you eat is connected to the world well beyond your plate.
Building on my interview with Tiah Edmunson-Morton, this interview sticks with the theme of beer but from the perspective of a content creator.
Ralph Marion runs Beered Black Man, a platform geared towards building a diverse community through beer. Beer is a drink that, throughout history, has been both heavily consumed on the one hand while being dismissed as 'common' on the other.
Here, Ralph discusses his perspective on beer and how this widely consumed drink might be a key to unlocking a more equitable future.
JS: Can you tell me a bit about yourself? What do you do, both for work and beyond it, that you most want to tell people about?
RM: Well, I was born and raised in Birmingham, AL. I was in the band all throughout school where I played saxophone. Music has always been a big part of my life and almost made it into a career before getting into craft beer. I work at Hop City Craft Beer and Wine in which I am the social media manager and assistant bar manager there. I've worked at Hop City for the last four years, and it has been one of the most fun jobs I have ever had.
Getting to learn so much about the thing I have the most passion in and also share that knowledge with people is something I love to do. I am a huge wrestling fan. My first memory of it was watching old school WCW (World Championship Wrestling) on TBS with my great grandfather when I was a little kid. I know wrestling might be taboo for most people, but it is my way to relax and just be me for however many minutes/hours it is on the TV.
JS: What inspired you to create Beered Black Man? How has BBM evolved over time?
RM: The idea for Beered Black Man came one day when I was sitting at one of my local breweries here in Birmingham. I was drinking my beer at the bar when I happened to look around the taproom. I noticed that I was one of VERY few people that looked like me. I started to wonder if anyone else felt this way. Did anyone else feel like they didn't see themselves in a place they loved to go? That's when I wanted to create a platform that showed what I do in the craft beer community and industry. I wanted people to know that craft beer isn't just a "white, hipster dude with a beard" thing. BBM is a place where I want to show that we need more inclusion, representation, and diversity in all of craft beer.
JS: How did you develop your love of beer? What lessons can we learn from working with beer that might apply to our culinary practices writ large, or even to the rest of our lives?
RM: Well, let's start when I was a kid. The first time I ever had a taste of beer was a big accident. I was at a family cookout at one of my cousins' houses in Selma, AL. During it, I was hanging out with my great grandfather and saw a red can next to him. My young brain thought it was a can of Coke. Boy was I so wrong! It was a can of Budweiser. As soon as that beer hit my palate, I spit it right back out. I thought I would never drink beer again.
Flash forward to when I was in college. I was hanging out with friends at a former craft beer bar. I saw a beer called Good People Brown Ale on the menu and decided to give it a shot. It changed everything I thought beer was. It showed me that beer isn't just the stuff you can get at the gas station for your next house party. I see beer as art. The fact you can come out and create something can taste like red velvet cake or pineapple upside down cake is crazy.
A lot of people do not realize that you can pair beers with so many dishes just like you can with wine. I highly recommend following Garret Oliver on Instagram and see all of the amazing pairings he can come up with. That man is dope as fuck and just as dapper!
JS: While beer is very central to your current work, it isn't your only love. Can you tell me about your interest in music, and your musical background. How, to you, do your love of beer and your love of music intersect?
RM: As I stated earlier, music has always been a big part of my life. Both my dad and uncle played when they were in school. My dad played drums and my uncle played saxophone. When I tried out for my middle school band to see what instrument I would play, I had the highest score on the sax and drums. It felt like it was meant to be. Playing the band introduced me to so many styles of music that I did not think I would like. I was always used to listening to hip hop and R&B.
Now, I love all different styles. If you were to check out the music I listen to, it ranges from classical to funk to metal to pop. Country isn't there though. Never been a thing for me. Music is one of those things you can pair with almost anything, and beer is no exception. You can see so many times on a beer name being inspired from a lyric or even from a song name. Even when you go to even special beer events, the music will set the mood. Music and beer have and will always be a perfect match.
JS: What, to you, feels most powerful about beer as a center point to building community and promoting diversity? What lessons can we learn specifically from beer as a beverage, and from the beer community, that can help us with community building writ large?
RM: Beer helps bring people together. No matter what part of the city you're from, no matter what kind of job you have, no matter the color of your skin or who you love, you can have a beer anywhere with anyone. We have so many ways that we are different from each other, but we can come together to share a beer together.
Another thing to think about is that there are so many styles of beer out there. Just like beer, there are so many people of different races, religions, genders, sexualities, etc. Anyone who wants to get into this amazing thing called craft beer can AND should. No one should ever feel like they are not welcomed or included. People should feel like they are just as deserving to enjoy a well made beer just as much as anyone else.