Mondo Brewing and Queer Brewing Project team up for special-edition beer

London brewery Mondo Brewing has teamed up with the Queer Brewing Project for a special-edition beer to support the LGBTQ+ community. 

Chosen Family, a seasonal American brown ale (5.2% ABV), is part of the brewery's Progress beer series. It will be released in mid-November, with proceeds from sales going towards MindOut, the LGBTQ+ mental health service.

Queer Brewing was founded by Lily Waite, one of the UK beer scene's most prominent advocates for queer and trans representation. Of the collaboration, Lily said: "I'm always keen to brew with a seasonal focus, so brewing a brown ale for the autumn is a dream! This beer is everything I want to be drinking as the nights draw in - cosy toffee and dried fruit notes overlaid with a subtle bitterness - and I'm particularly excited about its impact too.

"MindOut is a charity Queer Brewing has supported in the past, and with all of the pressures of the pandemic, I'm pleased to be supporting their vital work in bettering mental health amongst the LGBTQ+ community."

Mondo Brewing is a member of the Work in Progress project, a network of breweries working to make the brewing industry more inclusive and representative, and its Progress series plays into these aims. For the series' artwork Mondo has commissioned Sam Prentice, a Brighton illustrator known for his work on queer representation.

Sam said: "Being involved with a project that is really moving the conversation forward and making the world of brewing a more accessible and welcoming place has been a joy. Creating a design that celebrates the community of queer culture was so fun, but the best part of being involved is being able to give back to the communirty via MindOut."

Mondo Brewing co-founder Todd Matteson said: "We're hugely excited to team up with Lily Waite for the first brew in our Progress series. We're working to build a business and help shape an industry that's reflective of the community we serve."

Chosen Family will be available to drink at Mondo tap, in select pubs and bars around London, and via Mondo's web shop.

It follows the recent release of Mondo's Black is Beautiful Imperial Stout, a global collaboration with Weathered Souls, the proceeds of which were donated to The Black Curriculum.

23 October 2020 - Bethany Whymark