Two Cincinnati craft breweries are collaborating on a limited-edition release, and proceeds from the new beer will benefit one of the region’s most visible startup groups for diverse founders.
Rhinegeist and Esoteric Brewing are releasing a collaboration beer called "Harmony,” a red rye IPA, in honor of Black History Month and Women’s History Month, celebrated in February and March, respectively.
Harmony launches in each taproom this week in conjunction with “Tapped In Talks: A Harmonious Speaker Series,” a two-part panel discussion hosted and moderated by Mortar, a Pendleton-based nonprofit that provides resources to diverse small businesses and entrepreneurs.
The talks will take place at Esoteric in Walnut Hills 5:30-7:30 p.m. Feb. 22, celebrating Black History Month, and at Rhinegeist’s taproom in Over-the-Rhine 5:30-7:30 p.m. March 3, celebrating Women’s History Month.
One dollar from each pint of Harmony sold will go to Mortar. Additional donations can also be made on site.
Rhinegeist, Cincinnati’s largest craft brewer and the second-largest brewery in Ohio, said the Harmony launch with Esoteric is its first truly local collaboration.
Harmony will be a draft-only release and available only while supplies last.
“Harmony is a testament to the thread of solidarity and positive growth running through the city that both of our breweries call home,” Tracey Ireland, Rhinegeist’s director of marketing, said in a release. “They say ‘a rising tide raises all boats,’ and we truly believe this — if it’s good for one Cincinnati brewery, it’s good for all of us.”
For Esoteric, its founder was part of Mortar’s first cohort of entrepreneurs, and won the top prize at its pitch night competition in 2015.
Esoteric opened a few years later inside Model Group's $20 million Paramount Square development on East McMillian years in 2020.
Esoteric is Cincinnati's first minority-owned craft brewery. Co-founder Brian Jackson said there’s less than 1% Black representation in the brewing industry.
“We feel it’s important to break glass ceilings for everyone who’s underrepresented,” Jackson said. “We hope Harmony will kick off conversations about social change through inclusivity and collaboration.”
The Harmonious Speaker Series is part of Mortar’s “Future History Now,” in its seventh iteration, Allen Woods, Mortar co-founder and CEO, said.
Future History Now was launched in 2016 with Cincinnati accelerator Hillman as a nod to Black History Month and Black culture. Last year’s Future History Now highlighted Black visual artists at a curated popup gallery in Walnut Hills.
“Early on after we started Mortar, we wanted to develop programming that paid homage to our history at the same time that we were working to build the future,” Woods said. “We’re truly excited to be collaborating with Rhinegeist and Esoteric this time around.”
Mortar is one of Cincinnati’s most visible startup groups, serving as an accelerator and resource for diverse founders. Since its founding in 2014, it has graduated 300 entrepreneurs and businesses, including Black Owned Outerwear, Sweets & Meats BBQ and Jazzy Sweeties, and its entrepreneurs have created 155 local jobs.
