Photos by Matt Sayles
40 Under 40 Tastemaker 2021 Khristopher Johnson, 34
Co-Owner/Head Brewer, Green Bench Brewing, St. Petersburg, FL
Building More Than a Beer Community
Beer drinkers praise Johnson for many delicious reasons. Some think his Pilsners are the best, others his IPAs, and then there are the farmhouse ale fanatics. He’s pleased to be known for variety in the glass, but says the work he is doing with community youth is the most important and rewarding.
The brewery is named after a segregation-era symbol of the city, and Johnson wants to empower the next generation to succeed as the previous one did for him by sharing insight on not just beer, but business ownership and history. Through his work with the nonprofit Beer Kulture and the Michael James Jackson Foundation for Brewing & Distilling, he is also helping foster the next generation of BIPOC brewers.
Instagram: @greenbenchbrewing; @khrispyboi
