Eric Jackson of Capsoul Brewing Collective (Photo by Jay Paul)
Eric Jackson rooted himself in Richmond’s craft beer movement after moving here in 2019, working to diversify the sudsy scene through events and collaborative releases that weave music, art and culture through his company, Capsoul.
Now joined by a team of industry pros, he is transitioning from connecting with taprooms to creating a space of his own. Expected to open in 2024, Capsoul Brewing Collective is helmed by Jackson, Rusty Barrel, CM Bryant, Selam Hailu, Tyrel Murdaugh and Chris Smart. Stay tuned for a series of releases leading up to the opening.
Richmond magazine: When did talks for this project begin, and what sparked the leap?
Eric Jackson: I would say maybe beginning of July or end of June 2022. Tye [Murdaugh] posed a question to myself and one of the other owners, “Where does the intersection of craft and culture meet?” I sat on it, and meditated on it, and I was like, “Oh, beer.” The intersection is making the beer, and that’s the only thing we haven’t done. If he hadn’t asked that question, we would still be doing pop-ups, and we wouldn't have focus, and because of that question, now we do.
RM: Tell us a little bit more about this concept of phases.
Jackson: Phase one is these type of pop-up events we had in October and November. [We’ll] probably be hitting phase two in December and working with a select brewery to produce our product, and while we’re doing that, we’ll be working on capital and landing a space. For the next year or so, this will be where we [operate] as we prepare to open a spot. Every two or three months, we’ll release a beer. We’re working on core lineup right now — we’ll have a lager for sure, West Coast IPA, double IPA and a wheat beer.
RM: How did you connect with your head brewers, Darryl Puller and Rusty Barrel?
Jackson: I first met Darryl at The Answer in the back bar, and he poured me a stout — he's known for them. He’s a nurse, and we kept in contact. Rusty I heard about via Stone Brewing. He won a couple homebrewing competitions with them and ended up flying out to California to brew his beer, Mango Maya Milkshake IPA. What makes us different is [that] we have two brewers — most have one. I think you’ll get a whole package with Capsoul from the marketing standpoint and community service standpoint and the beer and the merch.
RM: Do you feel an added pressure in becoming Richmond’s first Black-owned brewery?
Jackson: Absolutely, but I don’t even want to think “Black-owned brewery,” because I think a lot of people will have stereotypes going in. It’s not about Blackness per se, it’s just excellence in general. We’re not going to be the best Black-owned brewery, we’re going to be the best one [period], and if I don’t go into it thinking that way, I’m failing. Preserving excellence in general is what we’re doing, and our culture will fall in line with it. At the end of the day, we're going to put out some great s---. I love who I am but also don’t use who I am to separate me from everybody else.
