BROADCASTS.com

There are easy topics brewery owners love to talk about to promote themselves: interesting beer releases, charity work, GABF awards, or cheeky packaging.\xa0

And then there are other, much stickier issues most avoid addressing: gentrification, racism and sexism in the industry; labor; and a brewery\u2019s moral responsibility to its community and the people within it.\xa0

Sam Gilbert, who co-founded Oakland\u2019s Temescal Brewing about three years ago in the neighborhood with which it shares a name, doesn\u2019t shy away from such difficult conversations. Oakland\u2019s changing, and it\u2019s well past time to talk about it.\xa0

Temescal Brewing came into existence in great part because of the community it now counts as patrons. A successful crowdfunding campaign helped the brewery get off the ground, and Gilbert hasn\u2019t forgotten the significance of that. Since then, Temescal has prioritized hiring hyperlocal residents, hosting regular LGBT-focused bashes, and proactively reaching out to communities less frequently seen in your standard brewery taproom.

But the vibes aren\u2019t always positive. Sometimes, being a good neighbor can be much less fun, as when AB InBev announced an intention to open a Golden Road taproom not far from Temescal\u2019s brewhouse. Gilbert, like others in the Oakland craft beer scene, was outspoken against the idea. Ultimately, the plan was quashed, and some believe it was in large part due to vocal critics like Gilbert, and to Oakland\u2019s anti-corporate ideologies.

All of this is to say nothing of the beer. Temescal is frequently cited as one of Bay Area drinkers\u2019 favorite breweries, and its focus on soft, nuanced, and low-ABV styles (and in particular Pilsners) has made fans out of the pickiest consumers. It\u2019s becoming increasingly common to see the brewery\u2019s brightly colored cans in fridges around the Bay.

There\u2019s a reason Temescal\u2019s reputation is as colorful as its approachable, pastel-splashed taproom. It aims for inclusion. And it lives by the motto: \u201cNo jerks.\u201d

This is Sam Gilbert of Temescal Brewing. Listen in.