Harlem. Brew. Soul.: A Beer Cookbook Experience

Experience beer-infused soul food recipes from the founder of Harlem Brewing Company, Celeste Beatty, the first Black woman to own a brewery in the United States.

Through her over twenty years of brewing beer and growing her business, Celeste Beatty has developed relationships with the best and brightest in the food and beverage industries and is ready to share her own soul food recipes with a beer-infused twist, along with recipes from some of Harlem’s and North Carolina’s favorite restaurants and chefs. Interspersed with small-bite reflections from her journey in the making of Harlem Brewing Company, Harlem. Brew. Soul. features:

• Over 80 recipes infused with lager, stout, IPA, and wheat beers (food and cocktails)
• Historical notes on African brewing history
• A collection of family stories about early African American homebrew culture
• Vibrant illustrations celebrating the NYC neighborhood of Harlem
• and much more!

Harlem. Brew. Soul. taps into the rich history, heritage, traditions, rituals, experiences, and codes of African American life, cuisine, culture, music, and, yes, beer!

Celeste Beatty, entrepreneur and beer pioneer, founded the Harlem Brewing Company in 2000. She is the first black woman to own a brewery in the United States. She started brewing beer in small batches in her studio apartment right across from Marcus Garvey Park in NYC in the ’90s. The early beers were made with a home-brew kit, a gift that sat in the closet for several weeks (that might explain why the first brewed beers weren’t such a hit). She kept on brewing, never giving up on trying to perfect her recipes. Today, Harlem Brewing Company creates artistic and intuitive beers inspired by the timeless rich history of Harlem and ancient traditions, whether experimenting with new styles and ingredients on their Pico Brew Zymatic or brewing up beers with natural yeasts during their Harlem Brewdio sessions. Harlem Brewing continues to celebrate this heritage in all their beers. Each one highlights amazing stories, whether their flagship Sugar Hill Golden Ale, Renaissance Wit, or 125th Street IPA.