On Rotation releases Black is Beautiful to benefit Campaign Zero's #8CantWait

On Friday, July 17, On Rotation of Dallas will release its rendition of Black is Beautiful, a beer brewed in collaboration with Marcus Baskerville and Weathered Souls Brewing Co. of San Antonio.

When it was announced, the Black is Beautiful project set goals to raise awareness for the injustices people of color face daily, and to raise funds for police brutality reform and legal defenses for those who have been wronged. Upon learning about this, the team at On Rotation knew they had to join in.

“We had been thinking about the best way to contribute to the Black Lives Matter movement, and our favorite language is beer,” says Jacob Sloan, co-founder and owner of On Rotation.

Breweries participating in the initiative have taken an imperial stout recipe developed by Baskerville and Weathered Souls and added a touch of their own creativity. On Rotation made a few minor changes to the beer by adjusting the grain bill to their preferred balance and adding a significant amount of chocolate.

The beer was brewed, appropriately enough, on Juneteenth, and according to a press release it presents with "a chocolate and bready aroma and powerful cocoa flavor throughout." It's a big beer, with an ABV of 10.2%, but with the "luscious chocolate flavor and dry finish," the alcohol is said to not overwhelm the palate.

“For me, it’s a perfect chocolate cake in a glass — not sweet but chocolate through and through,” says Sloan.

Proceeds from sales of Black is Beautiful will benefit Campaign Zero, specifically the group's #8CantWait campaign. The #8CantWait initiative aims to drive eight policies proven to decrease police violence by 72 percent. Research shows the more restrictive use of force policies #8CantWait is fighting for can reduce killings by police and save lives.

Of note, On Rotation points out Dallas is only halfway there. While the city has enacted four of the eight #8CantWait policies, Dallas still has four more to go.

The city has yet to ban chokeholds and strangleholds, require a warning before shooting, establish a duty to intervene, or ban shooting at moving vehicles. Citizens can get involved and contact Dallas’ Mayor Eric Johnson about these policies at 8cantwait.org.

In the meantime, show your support for Black Lives Matter and Black is Beautiful by purchasing “chocolate cake” stout this Friday at On Rotation. The taproom will be open at noon for curbside pickup of crowlers and growlers. Customers may pre-order online at on-rotation.com/order.