Honoring the Hidden HANDs THAT SHAPED Early American Brewing

Beer played a central role in the Revolutionary War and the founding of America. Yet many of the people whose labor sustained the agricultural, culinary, and hospitality traditions surrounding it have been largely absent from the historical record. Enslaved people brought knowledge, skill, and craftsmanship to the farms, gardens, kitchens, and households that shaped a growing nation and the traditions of early American beer.

As the nation marks its 250th anniversary, the Beer Culture Center partnered with George Washington’s Mount Vernon and Black owned breweries Funkytown Brewery in Chicago and Soul Mega in Washington, DC. to create a beer that helps restore their place in the American story.

Doll's Garden is a 5.4% blonde ale brewed with persimmons and apricots, fruits grown at Mount Vernon. Named for Doll, an enslaved cook, matriarch, and influential figure at the estate, the beer honors her legacy and the countless enslaved men, women, and children whose knowledge and labor helped shape the food and drink traditions of colonial America.