Allagash Brewing Company, the award-winning Portland, Maine-based brewery, and Crowns & Hops Brewing Co., the celebrated Black-owned brewery in Inglewood, California with a mission to advance racial equity in the craft beer space, are proud to announce the launch of their collaboration beer, Cur-8. Hitting shelves in February at the start of Black History Month, Cur-8 pairs the crisp flavor of Crowns & Hops’ 8 Trill Pils pilsner with notes of bourbon, vanilla and oak from Allagash Curieux.
Proceeds from sales will go to the 8 Trill Initiative, a development fund launched by Crowns & Hops co-founders Beny Ashburn and Teo Hunter dedicated to generating opportunities for Black-owned craft beer brands while demonstrating the benefits and fiscal impact of racial equity. Cur-8 is part of the new Eight Trillion Allies Collaboration Series that partners established breweries with Black-owned beer brands to accomplish true representation in the brewing industry. “8 Trill Pils” is named after a statistic from a W.K. Kellogg Foundation report, “Business Case for Racial Equity.” The report suggests that the U.S. stands to realize an $8 trillion gain in the national GDP by closing the racial equity gap by 2050.
“Allagash has been a brand that we have long admired, and partnering with them to launch Cur-8 is a natural fit,” said Beny Ashburn, CEO and Co-Founder, Crowns & Hops. “We’re able to draw from our respective signature beers to create something new and exciting, while also joining forces to support important initiatives that we care deeply about,” states Teo Hunter, COO & Head Beer Operations and Co-Founder, Crowns & Hops.
Cur-8 and the partnership between Allagash and Crowns & Hops is an extension of the two breweries’ long-standing relationship and mutual appreciation. Allagash Curieux was actually the first craft beer that Teo Hunter tried, and was key in sparking his interest in craft beer. The two breweries were also paired up in August 2022 for a ‘Fresh from the Barrel’ offering exclusive to Barrel & Flow Fest. With their latest partnership, Allagash and Crowns & Hops aim to create a lasting contribution for the 8 Trill Initiative, united in their mutual desire for progress.
“We have huge admiration for Beny and Teo’s passion and commitment – not just for brewing outstanding beer, but for building community and for civic engagement,” said Rob Tod, Founder, Allagash. “Our breweries’ core values align, and the release of Cur-8 reflects our respective efforts to make a positive impact through beer. We loved collaborating with them on this and look forward to working together with them to achieve more racial equity in craft beer.”
Allagash’s dedication to community and social justice initiatives is ongoing. The B-Corp certified brewery collaborates with multiple philanthropic and nonprofit partners, including through giving back 1% of the company’s annual revenue to multiply their efforts. Internally, Allagash has also made the commitment to Crafted For All, a framework built to help diversify and expand the craft beer community.
Cur-8 (6.5% ABV) is a limited release available in 4-packs of 16 ounce cans, available in California, New York, Georgia and at Allagash’s Portland, ME Tasting Room.