Josey Schwartz
Brewer/Owner | Suspended Brewing Company | Baltimore, MD
March 2022
Josey Schwartz has always known he wanted to change the world. After earning degrees in social sustainability from the University of Maryland, Baltimore and sustainability management from American University, he was searching for a way to inspire social and environmental change. After learning about the pay-it-forward tradition of suspended coffee in Italy, something clicked; he could operate a values-first company which with its mere existence was an act of “paying-forward” goodwill to current and future generations.
Enamored with beer and brewing, Schwartz saw the potential of using a brewery as a platform to showcase how a business could become a community center for social change. After touring numerous craft breweries with his current business partner and love of his life, Yasmin Karimian, Schwartz started brewing his own craft beer at home. In 2017, Suspended Brewing Company opened their doors with the goals of leaving a small ecological footprint and supporting the Baltimore community.
Since opening, Suspended Brewing Company has released 35 different beers with a specialization in mixed-culture fermentation from a funky, sour “Peach Leda” to a creamy, toasty “Double Black Pearl” imperial coffee stout. Beers are brewed and poured to support various causes in collaboration with businesses and brands that prioritize community impact and sustainability. Currently, the company brews using 100% clean electricity and is a nearly waste neutral operation. Schwartz hopes that the brewery can be an example for others in the industry and that cutting down on waste doesn’t mean cutting down on quality.
