Khris Johnson started homebrewing as a casual hobby in college, but it soon became an all-consuming passion. This led him to indefinitely postpone his medical studies. As featured in Food & Wine, this bold decision resulted in a historic achievement in the craft beer world that completely redefined his career.

Though he initially planned to go to medical school, Johnson strategically took a key position at Cigar City Brewing Co. in Tampa, FL. There, he gained invaluable, hands-on experience working directly under the brewmaster, Wayne Wambles.

According to the outlet, Wambles clearly recognized Johnson's unique talent and spoke highly of him, noting his "great deal of love for creating harmonious, complex beers."

Cigar City Brewing Co

Johnson was so passionate about homebrewing that he decided to take a break from his medical career goals to dedicate himself to the endeavor full-time.

READ ALSO: How three lifelong friends started the only Black-owned brewery that makes its beer in Chicago

He relocated to St. Petersburg, FL, and in 2013, co-founded his first microbrewery, Green Bench Brewing Co., with Nathan Stonecipher, Steven Duffy, and Brian Wing.

Green Bench Brewing Co

Green Bench Brewing Co. features a selection of beers, mead, and cider, all crafted with fresh, locally sourced ingredients. The company's website indicates that its offerings include beverages such as the Postcard Pils (an American Pilsner), Bench Life (an American Light Lager), and Skyway (a Hazy Double IPA), among others.

"I spend a lot of time obsessing over how to best express ourselves and myself, how to provide the best experience you can get with beer, specifically in our community and our city," Johnson told Food & Wine. "It's not just about one experience with one beer. It's the experience with all of our beers."

Green Bench Brewing Co. made history by becoming Florida's first Black-owned brewery, according to NBC News.

Bench Brewing Co

The company's name holds historical significance related to segregation, as it references the "green benches" installed on St. Petersburg streets in the early 1900s. According to NBC News, Black people were not allowed to sit on these benches at the time.

"What it meant was community. However, in the African American community, it was an unwritten rule that you could not sit on these green benches," Johnson told NBC News.

READ ALSO: Clarence Boston, from co-owning funeral homes to opening a brewery that made history

NBC News Black

"Growing up biracial in Memphis, TN, meant listening to the Black men in my life and women talk about what they had been through to get to where we are today," he added. "That Dr. [Martin Luther] King was assassinated in our city, that the Lorraine Motel looks exactly like it did the day that he died. And the purpose of that is so that we can remember what we've been through to get to where we are currently."

Johnson's commitment to advancing the brewing industry extends beyond his brewery. He was instrumental in establishing the brewing arts program at the University of South Florida, an initiative aimed at developing the next generation of brewing professionals.

Impressively, according to Johnson, over 85% of the program's graduates have gone on to work in or launch their own breweries. This dedicated work led to Oliver appointing Johnson as a board member for the Michael James Jackson Foundation for Brewing & Distilling, which is dedicated to supporting Black and Indigenous professionals and people of color within the industry.

great deal of love for creating harmonious, complex beers.

Where this fits

The drinks business rewards patience. Recipes get refined quietly, formats get resized, and the label often changes long before anyone notices the liquid has.

The short version

  • Johnson was so passionate about homebrewing that he decided to take a break from his medical career goals to dedicate himself to the endeavor full-time
  • READ ALSO: How three lifelong friends started the only Black-owned brewery that makes its beer in Chicago
  • "I spend a lot of time obsessing over how to best express ourselves and myself, how to provide the best experience you can get with beer, specifically in our community and our city," Johnson told Food & Wine
  • "Growing up biracial in Memphis, TN, meant listening to the Black men in my life and women talk about what they had been through to get to where we are today," he added
  • Impressively, according to Johnson, over 85% of the program's graduates have gone on to work in or launch their own breweries

Common questions

What should you know about Johnson?

Khris Johnson started homebrewing as a casual hobby in college, but it soon became an all-consuming passion.

What happens next?

Though he initially planned to go to medical school, Johnson strategically took a key position at Cigar City Brewing Co. in Tampa, FL.

The bottom line

The details will firm up over the coming months. What is already clear is that this is unlikely to be the last we hear of it.