Editor's note: Equity Brewing closed in June 2024.
Established in 2021, Oklahoma's first women-owned craft brewery is a dedicated safe space for members of marginalized communities and a hub for progressive Normanites.
Suzette Grillot, former dean of the OU College of International Studies, founded Equity Brewing Co. and is co-owner alongside her daughter, Hannah. When the brewery opened its kitchen in May 2023, Equity chef Yvonne Menja became a co-owner.
“The Norman community, I think, was looking and waiting for a space where the progressive folks in the community could come and feel safe and comfortable,” Grillot said. “I hear people refer to it as ‘Norman's progressive living room.’”
After a visit to a brewery during graduate school, she was inspired to open one of her own. While many brewery owners learn to brew before deciding to start a brewery, Grillot said her vision came before anything else, and she taught herself to brew along the way.
Grillot said when she opened Equity, there were women in Oklahoma who co-owned breweries with their spouses and who participated in the brewing process, but no female head brewers.
“There were definitely women in the industry, but there wasn't an all-women-owned operation,” Grillot told the OU Daily. “There wasn't really a space that was intentionally progressive, intentionally created for people to feel safe and comfortable in a bright and open space.”
Equity’s mission made all the difference for bartender Emma Watkins. Despite living in Oklahoma City, Watkins chose to commute to Norman rather than find a job closer to home.
Equity Brewing Co. features books and art for purchase. The business has donation drives to benefit the Norman and OKC communities as well.
“Maybe there are other breweries that have (a) similar mission and values,” Watkins said. “But I knew that Equity was the only all-women-owned brewery in Oklahoma.”
Equity hosts a writing group, a book club and other events throughout the month, including its drag brunch. One of Equity’s resident drag queens, Olivia Lycan, also doubles as the kitchen pastry chef.
“I wear many hats, and wigs,” Lycan said.
Lycan has been with Equity as a drag performer since the brewery opened and said the performances have been received with a wealth of positivity.
Lycan said despite recent attacks on drag shows, Equity’s community provides a safe space for performers that is void of criticism.
“They’re not brave enough to say it to our faces, really,” Lycan said of the criticism. “Especially here is a very welcoming space, that’s the name of the game. So here especially, we're all safe.”
Lycan took on the role of pastry chef a few months ago after leaving a corporate job in Oklahoma City. Lycan values the personal and community-oriented aspects of Equity as a workplace.
“We're not working for someone that we never meet and we never know. We're not working toward a goal we can never meet,” Lycan said. “We are actually trying to build something community based, and it's not some amorphous business entity that is here solely to take advantage of us.”
Equity partners with community aid groups such as Red Dirt Collective and Care-A-Vans to serve the community. Through its Taps for Humanity program, Equity brews specialized beers dedicated to charity organizations in the region, and donates a percentage of the beer sales to the organizations.
“Everything we do here, we try to do ethically and for the community,” Lycan said.
Equity brews its beer in small batches to allow for a variety of beers to be available at any given time. The brewery’s current selection includes darker beers like the Crème Brûlée Golden Stout and Blood Orange IPA, along with lighter options like the Peach Basil Blonde and Pineapple Sour.
Equity also features a selection of cocktails, many of which are crafted using beer. For non-beer drinkers, they also brew seltzers and have a variety of wines.
Equity also serves mocktails and coffee drinks, and has a food selection that includes flatbreads, salads and pasta.
Equity Brewing, located at 109 E. Tonhawa St., is open noon to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, from noon to 10 p.m. on Friday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Equity is closed on Monday.
This story was edited by Karoline Leonard. Grace Rhodes, Mary Ann Livingood and Nikkie Aisha copy edited this story.
