When an industry fails to reflect the community, it falls short. That’s the case for everything from fashion and music to the craft beer movement. Diversity in production honors the diversity in consumers.
In terms of beer, it’s long been a white and male dominated affair. Lately, marginalized folks have made strides and craft beer has partnered up with some organizations doing great work. But so much work is left to do.
When’s the last time you had a beer brewed by an Indigenous community? Chances are good that you haven’t. But it’s not just the fact that the industry could stand to be more inclusive. It stems from some repulsive federal policy first put on the books in the early 19th Century.
Times, they are a-changing. Meet Talking Cedar Brewery & Distillery, the nation’s first Indigenously-run beer and spirits producer. While the label has been around for nearly ten years, it’s really hit its stride as of late and remains a genuine pioneer in the Indigenous beer and spirits realm.
Repealing an antiquated law
Up until 2018, it was illegal for Native American communities to brew beer or distill spirits on their own land. It’s just one of many unfortunate examples of legislation put in place to keep Indigenous communities from accessing what much of the rest of the country takes for granted. The rule stems from the 1834 Indian Intercourse Act, a nearly 200-year-old federal law that’s so old and seemingly unfair that some people forgot it even existed.
It wasn’t until they broke ground on the facility in 2017 that the federal law prohibiting distillation on tribal land was discovered,” says Ryan Myhre, brewer and director of distilling operations at Talking Cedar. “The tribe had to act quickly through their lobbyist to petition the federal government to repeal the law.”
Fortunately, there was a coordinated effort to erase the dusty old rule. On the tribal side, Harry Pickernell Sr., Jeff Warnke, and David Burnett were instrumental in repealing the law. Myhre says U.S. Rep Jaime Herrera Beutler worked directly with the Chehalis Tribe to create and put forth new legislation (H.R. 5317). It was advanced to the Senate and, by 2018, it was signed into law by the President. Tribes could finally do what the rest of the craft world could has been doing for ages.
Almost a decade in and things have gone well. Talking Cedar has weathered both a pandemic and a craft circuit increasingly under pressure from younger generatinos cutting back and the growing popularity of non-alcoholic beer. “The reception so far has been primarily positive,” he says. “We won a GABF medal for our Chehalis Dark Lager in 2023 and have taken home several medals for our spirits. We have also shown well in the SIP Best of the PNW awards. Most beer/spirits writers have had good things to say about the products.”
A genuine indigenous brand
“For us, there isn’t a separation between being an Indigenous-owned business and being a brewery and distillery,” says Jackie Dodd-Mallory, the director of marketing at Talking Cedar. “One informs the other. The Chehalis Tribe has always believed in being good stewards of the land, honoring their history, and making decisions with future generations in mind, and those values shape everything we do.”
Talking Cedar essentially has a built-in ethos given that its purely the work of the Chehalis Tribe. “That shows up in ways both big and small,” Dodd-Mallory continues. “We use water from our own aquifer on tribal land, work with Tribal artists, forage ingredients from Tribal land, and source from Tribal businesses whenever we can because supporting the Chehalis community is part of our mission.”
Like so many brewers, Myhre got his start in his own place. “I began home brewing in 2007 when I became a stay-at-home dad,” he says. “That said, I have a MS and PhD in Biochemical Engineering, so I had strong foundational knowledge. I did also complete the UC-Davis Master Brewer program in 2017.”
That kind of training has suited him well and the beers reflect as much. The Chehalis Light is a classic take on the American light later while the Pacific Northwest IPA is a model India Pale Ale, balanced, hop-driven, yet clean. And this is to say nothing of the fresh hop goodness that comes out every early fall.
There’s a deep connection to the land, one ingrained in both the Chehalis way of life and the Talking Cedar. “We try to source all of our ingredients as locally as possible,” Myhre says. “The tribe also has lots of farmland, and we’ve been thinking about programs for growing grain and possibly hops on some of this land. We also use local botanicals important to the Native culture in several of our beer and spirits products.”
And it’s not just a brand, it goes bigger picture. “We want to do more than build an award-winning brand, its more than just great liquid,” Dodd-Mallory says. “We want to create jobs, expand economic opportunity, and build a legacy that benefits the Tribe and the community for generations to come.”
Moving forward
“There has been interest from other tribes to start their own facilities,” Myhre says. “However, it is a capital-intensive industry, and we have lots of excess capacity, so we try and steer people away from building their own facilities. We’ve worked hard to help other tribes develop some of their own products, which will be produced at Talking Cedar, and we look forward to some upcoming launches. Tribe to tribe business is important to the Talking Cedar model, and we look to be the leaders in tribal beverage alcohol production.”
Other breweries could learn a lot from an outfit like Talking Cedar. Whereas topics like sustainability have become as much marketing weapons as company policy for so many labels, it’s basically implied with Talking Cedar. The community is acting the way it always has, not adjusting to the industry but instead having it adjust to the community where necessary. And that makes for a genuinely sustainable operation, not just in terms of looking after the land, but its inhabitants and their economic and social wellbeing too.
Of course, it’s not just the beer. The same goes for the spirits. Talking Cedar is behind quite a few, from apple brandy and small-batch gin to whiskey made with espresso and natural maple syrup.
What’s next? Navigating the craft sector, which is struggling a bit at the moment, and constant evolution. With such a strong foundation, Talking Cedar seems to be in a good place, no matter what the future holds.
“We look forward to continued growth and awareness for the brand,” he says. “Beverage alcohol is in a tough place right now, so growing visibility has been a struggle, but we are pushing every day and slowly making gains. Personally, I am most proud of developing a world class brewing and distilling team that is passionate about quality, community and place. We have a state-of-the-art facility, and our quality standards are second to none. Everyone who works at Talking Cedar takes great pride in the products, the brand and the community they support.”
