Montclair Brewery Will Honor Whitney Houston With New Beer

MONTCLAIR, NJ — Black History Month is back for 2024, and in Montclair, that means the release of a new beer from the town’s first microbrewery.

As part of its annual Black History Month beer series, Montclair Brewery will release a special ale honoring iconic musician and Essex County native Whitney Houston.

Houston – who was born in Newark – attended Mount Saint Dominic Academy in Caldwell, and was a resident of East Orange and Mendham Township. Her death in 2012 is still felt heavily in the Essex County area, where a large mural was put up in her honor a few years ago.

The Montclair Brewery will tap into some of the beloved singer’s legacy for their new beer, the “Whitney Hefeweizen.”

According to the brewery, the libation is a “crisp, hazy, unfiltered, white wheat ale with sweet and fruity notes of banana bread and clove.”

It will be released at the brewery’s taproom at 101 Walnut Street on Friday, Feb. 9. A launch event will take place at 5:30 p.m. and will include highlights from several films that feature the star. A special playlist honoring Houston will also be streamed.

Local musician Gabi the Artist will perform from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. and will sing a couple renditions of Houston’s songs, along with her own material. Just Eat Burgers Pop-up will be on site in the brewery’s beer garden from 6 to 11 p.m. with burgers and more for sale.

Can’t make the event? The Whitney Hefewizen will be available in a special collectible pint can in four-packs and on draught in the taproom. It will also be available for sale at select bars, restaurants, grocery and liquor shops in New Jersey and New York.

Each February since the brewery’s opening in 2018, Montclair Brewery has released one or more new beers connected to a symbolic figure from the African diaspora. Previous years’ beers have paid tribute to luminaries such as Harriet Tubman, Larry Doby, Gil Noble, Chadwick Boseman, George Washington Carver, Thomas Sankara and Kobe Bryant.

The brewery has also paid homage to local legends from Montclair, such as Aubrey Lewis Sr. Read More: Montclair Renaissance Man, Sports Legend Honored

Adding Houston to the list is a no-brainer, the brewery’s wife-and-husband team say.

“We love highlighting local icons such as Whitney, who grew up in East Orange and I’m sure spent some time in Montclair as well,” co-founder Denise Ford Sawadogo said.

“It allows us to connect to our community on another level,” she added.

“Whitney Houston was a trailblazer, she transcended genres and left an unforgettable mark on the entertainment industry,” agreed co-founder and head brewer Leo Sawadogo.

“We’re honored to dedicate a beer to her memory,” he said.

In addition to the new Whitney Houston beer, the brewery will be highlighting a few of its existing flavors that are also part of the series, such as the “Black is Beautiful” stout and the “Baobiere Golden” ale – both brewed with the African baobab fruit.

Another special release, “Salute,” a golden ale rolled out in honor of hip hop’s 50th anniversary, will also be available throughout the month of February.

See a list of past and present beers online here.

In addition to the upcoming Whitney ale release and the re-focus on existing beers tied to the Black History Month Series the brewery will be celebrating Black History Month with live music each Friday in February.

The music will include soul led by the Rockin Soul band, on Friday, Feb. 2, pop with Gabi the Artist on Feb. 9, hip hop with The Chosen One on Feb. 16 and jazz fusion with U.L.T.R.A. S on Feb. 23. There is a $5 music charge per person during each band’s performance.

• See Related: Montclair Master Distiller Serves Up Black History With Each Beer
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• See Related: Montclair Brewery Releases New Beer As Tribute To Juneteenth

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