In the mid-2010s, J Jackson-Beckham, PhD was an academic with a homebrewing habit, blogging incisively about what she called “the unbearable whiteness of brewing.” Her deep expertise and singular voice eventually caught the eye of the Brewers Association, which tapped her to serve as the trade group’s first-ever “Diversity Ambassador” in 2018. Today, "Dr. J" joins Taplines to reflect on that moment — not only a pivotal one in her own career but also in the trajectory of the craft beer industry writ large as brewers big and small began trying to square their professed values with their business practices (and ideally, bring more paying customers to their taprooms, too.) That work is ongoing: shortly after we recorded this episode in late 2023, she joined the BA full-time as its director of social impact. Don't forget to like, review, and subscribe! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.