Montclair Brewery Infuses Local Beer Scene With Diversity

MONTCLAIR, NJ — Get ready to celebrate an important milestone this weekend, Montclair: the anniversary of the township’s first microbrewery.

Starting Friday and continuing until Sunday, the Montclair Brewery will be hosting a series of poetry, music and other entertainment at its taproom at 101 Walnut Street.

Owned by Leo and Denise Ford Sawadogo, Montclair Brewery first opened its doors on Oct. 12 last year.

It’s a big landmark for the local entrepreneurs, who put their dream into action with the help of a successful crowdfunding campaign. And it’s also a big moment for diversity in an industry that is often “severely lacking” in minority representation, Denise Ford Sawadogo said.

“We are very proud be the first microbrewery available to everyone living within and visiting the Montclair area,” Sawadogo said. “To also be a black-owned and operated business, we hope is an inspiration for others. Together, we can all bond over our love of diversifying our palettes, opening our minds, and sitting back while we enjoy a new favorite brew.”

The brewery – which specializes in African and Caribbean-inspired beers – will also feature at least 18 varieties flowing all weekend long. Offerings will include four “barrel-aged” beers, two IPAs (National Emergency, a New England style IPA, and Poor Richard’s American-style IPA), and a new rosemary IPA–Kamacitra, brewed with rosemary harvested from City Green Farms in Clifton.

As a culmination of the weekend celebration, for the very first time, the brewery is planning on selling a limited amount of 16-ounce cans of four styles. The four styles will be announced on Friday and available for sale all weekend long, while supplies last.

The entertainment lineup includes:

• The Howlin’ Poets, a local Blues, Funk, Rock band will perform on Friday evening from 7:30 to 10 p.m.
• DJ Dan.CE and DJ Rafe will spin finger-snapping, hip-shaking tunes on Saturday from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m.
• Edward Swanton, one-man band acoustic musician, will help close out the weekend long festivities on Sunday from 5 to 8 p.m.

“It’s always been our passion to do something totally new, showing others that micro-breweries can be different from each other and that is what helps welcome new people to craft beer,” Leo Sawadogo said.

The brewery hours for the weekend remains the same and are posted on their website at www.montclairbrewery.com.

Don’t forget to visit the Patch Montclair Facebook page. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site. Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com