South London brewery Mondo Brewing has teamed up with The Queer Brewing Project, founded by Lily Waite, to brew Chosen Family, with proceeds going to LGBTQ+ mental health service, MindOut. The beer, a seasonal American Brown Ale (5.2%) and part of their Progress Beer Series, is being brewed this month and will be released mid-November.
Lily Waite, one of the UK beer scene’s most prominent advocates for queer and trans representation, said: “This collaboration with Mondo is the first Queer Brewing collaboration in a short while, and what a collab to come back to! I’m always keen to brew with a seasonal focus, so brewing a brown ale for the autumn is a dream! This beer is everything I want to be drinking as the nights draw in—cosy toffee and dried fruit notes overlaid with a delicious, but subtle bitterness—and I’m particular excited about its impact too.
“MindOut is a charity Queer Brewing has supported in the past, and with all of the pressures of the pandemic, I’m pleased to be supporting their vital work in bettering mental health amongst the LGBTQ+ community. I was also pleased to see the Work in Progress project launch this summer, as its mission is one aligned with that of The Queer Brewing Project, and I’m excited to have worked on the very first beer!”
As part of the Progress Beer Series, Mondo has commissioned Brighton illustrator Sam Prentice to design the artwork for the project. Sam has focused his work on queer representation, creating colourful and relatable characters who challenge the modern idea of what it means to be queer.
In the run up to release, limited edition t-shirts will be available on Print Social, with 100% of profits going to MindOut, and 10% of Print Social’s income from the campaign too.
Sam says: “Being involved with a project that is really moving the conversation forward and making the world of brewing a more accessible and welcoming place has been a joy! Creating a design that celebrates the community of queer culture was so fun, but the best part of being involved is being able to give back to the community via MindOut.”
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