From the walls of the world’s top climbing competitions and the world’s greatest routes to fostering a supportive environment for LGBTQI+ athletes, Alex Johnson is a champion.
Athletic Brewing Company, which is a craft brewery that makes nonalcoholic brews, is has collaborated with Johnson on the release of a new beer, Rainbow Wall. Athletic Brewing planned to donate profits from Rainbow Wall to Athlete Ally, a non-profit that supports equal access in sports for everyone
“Coaches play a powerful role in shaping inclusive environments for LGBTQI+ athletes,” said Hudson Taylor, Founder and Executive Director of Athlete Ally. “As an Athlete Ally Ambassador and coach, Alex Johnson has made a profound difference in the lives of the LGBTQI+ athletes who learn from her and look up to her. We’re grateful to be working alongside her and Athletic Brewing to build a sport culture that’s truly safe, welcoming, and inclusive for all.”
Athletic Brewing projects a $20,000 donation to Athlete Ally from the collaboration. Inspired by Johnson’s coaching and mentorship, the funds will be used to create a coach’s symposium this fall that will train coaches on how to create safe spaces for youth, high school, and college athletes to feel safe coming out in.
The Blood Orange IPA, Rainbow Wall, is named after a well-known mountain face called the Rainbow Wall at Red Rocks in Nevada. It is one of the most challenging climbs of the area and also happens to be Johnson’s favorite, making it a perfect fit for this collaboration. Rainbow Wall was inspired by an incredible athlete to celebrate all the colors of the LGBTQI+ community. Johnson was involved in all aspects of creation from recipe collaboration to the label design.
Johnson prefers refreshing, citrusy beers that are easy to drink after a hard workout. Together with Athletic’s Co-Founder and Head Brewer, John Walker, they created a slightly hazy IPA with a clean malt bill that allows the soft, tropical fruit notes from the Strata hops to shine. There is a higher than usual carbonation and a zesty finish from the fresh Blood Orange puree that makes Rainbow Wall bright, light, and refreshing at just 70 calories. The beer is absolutely perfect to take on a hike or climb.
Rainbow Wall is available via AthleticBrewing.com.
“Athletic beers are the beers that my partner, Bree, and I take out bouldering on weekends. It is a great extra carb intake, it allows us to climb safely, and it is a perfect social offering on the trail,” said Johnson. “We saw Athletic’s Soul Sour beer during Black History month, and we approached Athletic about doing something during Pride Month. We want to support our community and it is totally rad that Athletic was willing to help us.”
“We believe that sharing a beer is the connector that allows us to build inclusive communities,” said Athletic Founder Bill Shufelt. “This belief is core to our mission at Athletic Brewing. In addition to donating all the profits from Rainbow Wall to Athlete Ally, our work continues well beyond this partnership. We are proud to donate one percent of our sales to non-profit organizations that are breaking barriers in sports and craft beer.”
Athletic anticipates they will donate $500,000 to these causes this year alone.
