Montclair Brewery’s New Beers Honor Harriet Tubman, Larry Doby

MONTCLAIR, NJ — The Montclair Brewery is paying tribute to Black History Month with beers that evoke the legacies of Harriet Tubman and Larry Doby.

According to its wife-and-husband owners, Denise Ford-Sawadogo and Leo Sawadogo, February is an “extra-special time” for the town’s first microbrewery, which features a lineup of libations inspired by the African diaspora.

Throughout the month, the brewery will be hosting music performances, trivia events and making other connections with Black History Month. (Learn more here)

The festivities include the release of two, new beers.

“Tubman Railroad Strawberry Ale” honors the courageous Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad that she and other abolitionists made famous.

“It’s said that strawberries were Harriet Tubman’s favorite treat,” Ford-Sawadogo explained. “Watching the recent film ‘Harriet’ by director Kasi Lemmons gave me a deeper understanding of how unbelievably strong and courageous Harriet Tubman was. I immediately knew that we had to develop a drink in her honor.”

The brewery is also crafting a new beer in honor of former Negro League and American League baseball legend, Larry Doby, the second player to break baseball’s infamous color barrier. Doby eventually settled in Montclair, where he and his wife raised their children until he died in 2003.

“When we learned that this year marks the 100th anniversary of the Negro Baseball Leagues, we knew this was the year to do something to honor the league and its players,” said Leo, who acts as the head brewer.

“Doby having lived in Montclair, like his colleague and friend, Yogi Berra, made it easy to select him as the player to honor with this special beer,” Sawadogo said.

The yet-unnamed beer will be released in late February.

Montclair Brewery will also highlight several returning styles as a part of the Black History month series which it first introduced last year. Those beers include:

• The Motherland – A gluten-free beer made from sorghum, which is the traditional style of beer brewed in Africa.
• Baobiere Golden Ale - Made from the unique fruit of the African Baobab tree, also known as the “tree of life” and which contains remarkable nutrients and natural vitamins.
• Barton’s Bush Coconut Stout - A year-round taproom favorite inspired by Ford-Sawadogo's family's heritage in Bartons, Saint Catherine's, Jamaica and its coconut groves.
• MB Pecan Pie Stout - A former African American slave from Louisiana in 1876 gave birth to the technique widely used to grow pecan orchards, giving the beer a special connection to pecans and black history.

Upcoming events at Montclair Brewery include a Black History Month-themed “Taproom Trivia” on Wednesday, Feb. 19.

In addition, the brewery’s Friday live music lineup will include R&B and pop singer Jeiris J Cook on Feb. 7, Reggae band, Exodus Supreme singing rock-steady, reggae and calypso on Feb. 14, Hip/Hop and R&B artist Euphony performing on Feb. 21, and Rasha-Jay and her Alternative Rock band on Feb. 28.

The microbrewery and tasting room is located in Montclair's Walnut Street business district. The business opened its doors in the autumn of 2018, and was born from the desires of head brewer Leo to turn his passion of home brewing into a business with his wife, Denise, a marketing expert who manages the business operations.

The brewery’s mission is to build a stronger community by offering an eclectic and culturally-infused selection of beer styles to both craft beer fans and those new to craft beer.

• See related article: Married Couple Open Montclair's First Microbrewery
• See related article: Montclair Brewery Infuses Local Beer Scene With Diversity

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com

Don’t forget to visit the Patch Montclair Facebook page. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site. Sign up for Patch email newsletters.