The Black Is Beautiful initiative has made a difference. In 2020, more than 1,200 breweries in all 50 states and 22 countries participated in the open-source collaboration to raise funds and awareness for diversity and racial justice—a cooperative effort without any known precedent. However, even before that project took on a life of its own, Weathered Souls cofounder and head brewer Baskerville already had a strong reputation among fellow brewers and Texas drinkers for his characterful imperial stouts and other beers. 

In this 68-minute video course—which we at Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine® have made freely available to all—Baskerville breaks down his approach to brewing Black Is Beautiful and other imperial stouts, including: 

• Designing imperial stouts with balance in mind
• Constructing a grain bill for complexity and body
• Tips on mashing in, lautering, and sparging heavy stout mashes
• Kettle caramelization, long boils, and hop additions
• Managing high-gravity fermentations with oxygen, yeast, and nutrients
• Choosing your flavor adjuncts, and how and when to add them
• Barrel-aging imperial stouts

And much more, including recipes from Baskerville himself.