Black Star Co-op featured in Edible Austin Spring Issue
How does an idealistic gang of mathematicians, physicists and chemists develop a loyal following of hardcore beer nerds? They offer them free beer, of course. Or they did, starting in 2006, when Steven Yarak dreamed up a plan to open the world’s first community-owned, member-managed brewpub—a dream now realized in Austin’s Black Star Co-op.
Yarak began campaigning for the grassroots project by holding beer socials in his backyard. The informal gatherings, replete with an array of free beer samples, helped create a sense of community, and people slowly warmed to the idea of a one-time membership fee. Within a few years, Yarak and his team were hosting socials for more than 1,000 people and had raised more than $500,000 to begin construction on the Black Star brewpub.
