PHOTO COURTESY OF BARREL & FLOW FEST

“I want it to be a place of fellowship, a place where anybody can come in and feel comfortable, but also be educated,” says Marcus Wyatt, a Chicago native who wants to open Pittsburgh’s first black-owned brewery.

In talking about his business, Windy Bridges Brew, he inadvertently described Barrel & Flow Fest, where he’ll be pouring his beers on Aug. 10. It’s taking place at The Stacks at 3 Crossings in the Strip District.

The annual event, which was named the country’s best beer festival by USA Today readers, goes beyond your average keg party; it’s a celebration of Black culture, creativity and community.

PHOTO COURTESY OF BARREL & FLOW FEST

On Aug. 6, the City of Pittsburgh, County of Allegheny and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania will officially declare the beginning of August to be Barrel & Flow Week. There will be a beer bash at The Highline on the South Side starting at 5 p.m. with music by Hipnotik and art by Juliandra Jones. Check the Barrel & Flow website for other pre- and post-festival activities.

Collaboration is just one of the aspects of Barrel & Flow that make it notable.

Local brewers and Black-owned breweries from across the nation are paired with businesses, artists and public officials to craft beverages for the festival. This year, there are 45 teams.

Next week, Mike’s Beer Bar on the North Shore will have all of the collaboration beers, as well as the beers from the out-of-state breweries. The bar has an extensive food menu, too. I recommend the Sahr Yinzer, a wrap filled with grilled kielbasa, pierogies, haluski, sauerkraut and spicy mustard aioli. If you’re not a Pittsburgher, it’ll turn you into one.

PHOTO COURTESY OF BARREL & FLOW FEST

Tom Marshall, co-founder of New France Brewing at Hazelwood Brew House, serves as Barrel & Flow’s head of collaborations. He set up Wyatt with the folks at Allegheny Mountain Malt Allegheny to produce German gose-style margarita sour ale.

The name? Gose Dahn E-Z.

The Chicagoan, who now resides in McKees Rocks, is embracing the local vernacular, n’at.

He came to Pittsburgh in 2011 shortly after his grandparents moved here. Like the Windy City, he believes this old rust belt town has grit. His grandfather, Fredrick Redmond, is the secretary-treasurer of the AFL-CIO and was unanimously elected to the position as the highest ranking African American officer in the history of America’s labor movement.

“He is definitely one of my biggest inspirations,” Wyatt says.

PHOTO COURTESY OF BARREL & FLOW FEST

Wyatt, who works full time at a machine shop in Mars, Pa., fell in love with craft beer in 2016 while having a few rounds with his co-workers at Breakneck Tavern. The second he started home brewing on a one-barrel system he was hooked. As luck would have it, his fiancée went to Woodland Hills High School with Barrel & Flow founder Day Bracy, who encouraged the fledgling beer-maker to pursue his dream of turning his hobby into a full-blown business.

The owners of local established breweries have bolstered him as well. The folks at Verona-based Inner Groove gave him on-the-job training and helped him secure his Level 1 Cicerone certification. Wyatt also holds a Brewing Science Certificate from Point Park University’s Natural Sciences and Engineering department.

During brew sessions at Inner Groove – which is named after the spot on a vinyl record where a band places hidden tracks or messages — Wyatt listened to a lot of Miles Davis, Muddy Waters, B.B. King and, of course, advice from seasoned brewers Tim Melle and Kevin Walzer.

“People of color are traditionally underrepresented in the craft beer industry,” he says. “But, what I’ve noticed in this beer community, is that it’s a circle. Everybody wants to see everybody win.”