In the latest installment of Brewbound’s A Round With – a weekly Insider-exclusive Q&A series with industry leaders – Alisa Bowens-Mercado, founder and owner of Rhythm Brewing, discusses her quest to make the Connecticut brewery the first nationally distributed beer brand owned by a woman of color and all the stops along the way, including a pop-up summer beer garden in New Haven and ready-to-drink espresso martinis.
You presciently founded Rhythm Brewing in 2018 after realizing there was a gap in the craft market for easy-drinking lagers. What was your selling story back then? Did you ever think the rest of craft would catch up to you in realizing drinkers were looking for lager?
Alisa: In 2018, immediately after the launch of Rhythm Brewing Co., our selling story was “it’s local and it’s the new taste of lager.” In the midst of the New England IPA craze, we were passionate about offering consumers a renewed or newfound appreciation of traditional lager styles.
Many in the industry said we were taking a risk in launching an all lager brand. Our response was: “We’ll see about that – everyone’s palate needs a break.” Sure enough, after attending several craft beer festivals and hosting tastings, we realized beer drinkers were craving styles that were easy drinking with a lower ABV. That’s when we knew we had gotten ahead of the curve.
Both of your grandmothers were beer drinkers, which in part inspired your journey. Was it common for women to enjoy beer in their circles?
Alisa: My grandmothers truly were the inspiration for this journey. They loved sipping on a good lager beer. It was uncommon for the women in their circles to drink beer, but the women that enjoyed beer preferred their beer in ‘ponies.’ The delicate, classy look of this small bottle made it acceptable. LAGER is part of the DNA for the women in our family.
How does it feel to be honoring them in this way?
Alisa: It is a true blessing to pay homage to my grandmothers daily through my journey in the beer industry. Our story started back in the 1970s when my grandmothers were powerful women who didn’t have a voice in the beer industry. In 2024, I’ve made it my mission to keep their legacies alive by diversifying the craft beer industry.
Rhythm’s beer is being poured this summer at the beer garden CITA Park in New Haven, Connecticut. Tell us about this collaborative effort to bring products from Black- and Brown-owned food and beverage companies to the forefront.
Alisa: As a founding committee member of CITA [Change in the Air, a non-profit dedicated to diversifying the craft beer industry founded by New England Brewing Company sales and marketing director Jamal Robinson], it is exciting to see the community come together to support and highlight Black-Brown food and beverage companies. They bring in local vendors including visual artists and local DJs.
The space is amazing, it allows the community to learn more about food and beverage companies owned by diverse founders.
You’re a founding member of the National Black Brewers Association’s (NB2A) board of directors. What has this experience been like?
Alisa: As a founding member of the NB2A board of directors, it has been an honor to be part of this historical endeavor. In its mission, the board embraces and advocates what the craft beer community has been missing. Fellow committee members are dedicated and committed to making long lasting change in the industry.
Building more seats to bring to the table is a philosophy that I live by. This experience has been life-altering. I’m a part of an association that will live on through the efforts of many to follow.
What else does Rhythm have planned for the back half of 2024?
Alisa: We are looking forward to more than a dozen beer festivals, tri-state tastings, and extending our distribution in the Northeast. We’re on a mission to become the country’s first nationally distributed beer brand owned by a minority woman founder. We are dedicated to tapping into an untapped demographic.
We will be producing additional lagers, and we have an espresso martini RTD launching at the end of this month.
What’s keeping you up at night?
Alisa: Excitement! The opportunities and the doors that are about to open!