Peoples Beer is honored to collaborate with The Ray Charles Foundation to release a limited edition Free Of Alcohol (FOA) brew celebrating the genius Ray Charles! On Thursday, February 23, a day dedicated to Ray Charles will take place at Fixins LA Live starting at 12pm to kick off the special beer release. The celebration will include art and a playlist curated by The Ray Charles Foundation.
The non-alcoholic beer was brewed with sweet orange peel and blood oranges to create a refreshing enjoyable FOA beverage. 4pks are available for purchase at OPB, Fixins Sac and Fixins LA Live while supplies last. Shirts are available for purchase here.
This special release is both a dedication to a legendary artist and an opportunity to educate people about his life and music. “To be affiliated in any way with Ray Charles is an honor, but to have our restaurant and brewery collaborate on a unique beer depicting Mr. Charles’ images on can labels is truly special. February 23rd will be a day to remember,” Kevin Johnson of Fixins and Peoples Beer. “For Kevin, Peoples Beer and Fixins is about craft, heritage and commerce. This combination assures success. For Ray Charles this was at the core of his belief system,” Valerie Ervin, president of The Ray Charles Foundation.
Ray Charles was a musician often called the “Genius,” who pioneered the genre of soul music during the 1950s. Charles combined blues, gospel, R&B, rock, country music and jazz to create groundbreaking hits such as “I’ve Got A Woman” and “What I’d Say” and “Hit the Road Jack.” His impressive multi-award winning 50-year career left an indelible mark on contemporary music all over the world.
Charles started playing the piano before he was five. At age six, he contracted glaucoma that eventually left him blind. He studied composition and learned to play the alto saxophone, clarinet, trumpet, and organ at the St. Augustine School for the Deaf and the Blind.
Charles was known for his philanthropy. In 1986, he formed The Robinson Foundation for Hearing Disorders Inc. which later became The Ray Charles Foundation with the vision to instill in the youth of America that “there is no challenge too great one cannot overcome.”
The special release is part of the Peoples Black Icon line honoring African American icons. The first release in the series was in October 2021 for the 51st anniversary of Peoples Beer, the nation’s first Black-owned breweries.
ABOUT THE RAY CHARLES FOUNDATION
The Ray Charles Foundation is dedicated to providing support in the area of hearing disorders and the empowerment of young people through education by offering support to educational institutions and non-profit education programs. Ray Charles said: “The inability to hear is a handicap; not the inability to see.” The vision of The Ray Charles Foundation is to instill in the youth of America that “there is no challenge too great one cannot overcome.”
ABOUT PEOPLES BEER
Oak Park Brewing Co. revived the Peoples Beer brand in 2020 to honor the legacy of Mr. Theodore Mack Sr., the first African American to own and operate a brewery in America. Mr. Mack picked cotton in the fields of Alabama and rose to become a civil rights giant who stood for economic empowerment and racial equity. In 1970, he purchased Peoples Brewing Co. in Oshkosh, Wisconsin to provide employment opportunities in minority communities. Mr. Mack’s historic achievements helped pave the way for people of color in the brewing industry. www.peoplesbeer.com @peoplesbeerco
ABOUT OAK PARK BREWING CO.
Oak Park Brewing Co. is a Black-owned brewery located in the historic neighborhood of Oak Park in Sacramento, California. At OPB, we are about the ABCs, which stands for (A)rt, (B)eer, and (C)ommUnity. We collaborate with local artists, we strive to brew quality beer, and we bring the community together to not only drink craft beer but to make a difference!
