Hannah Ferguson Says Trust Your Dopeness: D.O.P.E. Cider House & Winery
By David Nilsen
At D.O.P.E. Cider House & Winery in Youngstown, Ohio, Hannah Ferguson is rewriting the narrative around who drinks—and brews—craft alcoholic beverages. When she took a position as an assistant brewer at Mother Methods Brewing in Warren a few years ago, she was the first Black female professional brewer in Ohio. When she left to start her own cidery and winery in 2022, that was two more firsts for the state. Hannah hopes what was trailblazing for her will be commonplace in the future. She has mixed feelings about these milestones.
“It’s like, hey, this is really cool, you’re the first to do this. But it is humbling. It’s scary,” she says. “And then you think about it being 2022 (when D.O.P.E. opened), and it’s like, I’m the first?!”
Prior to brewing professionally, Hannah was a home winemaker, and she would bring her wine to social events. When she started at Modern Methods, she brought beers she had brewed. Both were surprises to many, as selective marketing, stereotyping, and many other societal influences have long limited the involvement of Black individuals and other persons of color in the craft alcohol community.
“Not only was I bringing wine into places, I was also bringing beer and kind of helping change the narrative for people who look like me—people of color and women in beer,” she says.
She chose the name D.O.P.E.—which stands for Dwelling On Positive Energy—because she wanted her new business to be all about what’s possible in life.
“It described me best, my heart and my passion, and especially the love I have for my city and wanting to do something different here,” she says. She moved back to Youngstown about a decade ago after an early career in Orlando, Florida. “I think that’s what was so hard is wanting to only start here in Youngstown. People are seeing it and saying like, Hey, if this girl from Youngstown can do it, why can’t I? I think it just takes seeing someone who looks like them to know it’s a possibility.”
Hannah opened D.O.P.E. in 2022 in a building adjacent to Penguin City Brewing. She had been running out of options for how to get started when the Penguin City owners approached her about the idea of opening a production space and taproom on the property. The space is about 1,500 square feet, with couches and comfortable bar seating, and good music maintaining a chill vibe. There are half a dozen hard ciders on tap, as well as a non-alcoholic cider. Wines will be available soon.
Hannah has also had the opportunity to brew collaborations with Ohio breweries. With her neighbors at Penguin City she created Dope City, a blend of cherry cider and Golden Ale that proved popular in both taprooms.
With Alematic Artisan Ales in Huber Heights on the north side of Dayton, she brewed I’m Dope, a Hazy IPA fermented with a Belgian ale yeast strain. Alematic is one of the only Black-owned breweries in the state, and they brew an eclectic range of beers inspired by music, with record sleeves decorating the bartop and flight holders cut to look like turntables. I’m Dope was an unusual beer that showcased the creativity of both brewers.
Hannah has taken a long road to opening D.O.P.E., and for a long time she wasn’t sure it was going to work out. She’s a testament to the power of determination. When speaking at the Women’s International Beer Summit last year, she gave advice to her listeners to continue to believe in their dreams.
“Trust your dopeness,” she says. “It’s the fairytale of the tortoise and the hare. I am definitely the turtle in that story. Don’t give up, trust your dopeness, trust whatever’s inside you, whatever your heart is telling you.”
Hannah hopes others follow in her footsteps, and she is eager to give advice and encouragement to the next wave of trailblazers.
“To me this is not a secret that needs to be kept. If people want to learn and I can help them with that path, whether they pursue it professionally or keep it on a home scale, that door is definitely open. I had someone take that opportunity on me.”