Bristol University Press
5 Exposure, Marketing, and Access: Malt Liquor and the Racialization of Taste
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Nathaniel G. Chapman
Abstract
This chapter investigates how the lack of diversity and representation in the craft beer industry has led to the systematic exclusion of black people from beer consumption. One way to do this is to focus on the use of racially targeted marketing to sell cheaper products of lesser quality to communities of color; malt liquor is a critical case. Another way is to interrogate the ways in which the contemporary craft beer industry has appropriated black culture and iconography to sell beer to white people. The issue of representation, both socially and culturally, is of key importance in looking at the marketing of beer. According to interview data, the issue of representation is a major barrier in preventing black, other minority, and female participation in craft beer and its cultures. Given this reality, it is not surprising at all that most significant efforts to diversify the beer industry have mostly been led by consumers.
Abstract
This chapter investigates how the lack of diversity and representation in the craft beer industry has led to the systematic exclusion of black people from beer consumption. One way to do this is to focus on the use of racially targeted marketing to sell cheaper products of lesser quality to communities of color; malt liquor is a critical case. Another way is to interrogate the ways in which the contemporary craft beer industry has appropriated black culture and iconography to sell beer to white people. The issue of representation, both socially and culturally, is of key importance in looking at the marketing of beer. According to interview data, the issue of representation is a major barrier in preventing black, other minority, and female participation in craft beer and its cultures. Given this reality, it is not surprising at all that most significant efforts to diversify the beer industry have mostly been led by consumers.
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents vii
- About the Authors viii
- Acknowledgments ix
- Foreword xi
- Series Editor Preface xv
- Brewing Up Race 1
- Racism, Brewing, and Drinking in US History 27
- The Making of the (White) Craft Beer Industry 49
- The Paths to Becoming a Craft Brewer and Craft Beer Consumer 75
- Exposure, Marketing, and Access: Malt Liquor and the Racialization of Taste 103
- Gentrification and the Making of Craft Beer White Spaces 131
- #WeAreCraftBeer: Contemporary Movements to Change the Whiteness of Craft Beer 155
- Respondents to the Semi-Structured Interviews 181
- Interview Protocol 183
- References 185
- Index 203
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents vii
- About the Authors viii
- Acknowledgments ix
- Foreword xi
- Series Editor Preface xv
- Brewing Up Race 1
- Racism, Brewing, and Drinking in US History 27
- The Making of the (White) Craft Beer Industry 49
- The Paths to Becoming a Craft Brewer and Craft Beer Consumer 75
- Exposure, Marketing, and Access: Malt Liquor and the Racialization of Taste 103
- Gentrification and the Making of Craft Beer White Spaces 131
- #WeAreCraftBeer: Contemporary Movements to Change the Whiteness of Craft Beer 155
- Respondents to the Semi-Structured Interviews 181
- Interview Protocol 183
- References 185
- Index 203
