Whippet Lab & Social Justice Club is a totally new concept in Sweden— a mix of a high quality, stylish restaurant and bar, a nano brewery, and a social justice organization. As the name implies, the resident dog is a rescue whippet named Sherlock, and she is often seen around the bar, making sure the guests are well tended to. Co-owners are Jami Weinstein and VS Brodie. Weinstein, originally from New York, is a professor in Gender Studies in Sweden with specialities in philosophy and Science and Technology Studies. If there’s anyone we’d want to talk activism over a brew with it’s Jami Weinstein. Unbearably brilliant and hilariously snarky, Weinstein is exactly the type of person we’d follow on the journey towards a revolution. Brodie, originally from Detroit, is a chef who has worked in queer independent film – including starring in the classic lesbian flick Go Fish.
Sweden’s First Restaurant/Bar for Social Justice
So what is a Social Justice Club and how does it work?
The Whippet Lab is engaging in an experiment to find ways to do social justice work differently. The Social Justice Club is their way of turning the tradition of members-only, private gentlemen’s “social clubs” on its head. While Whippet Lab will always remain open to everyone, like those “old boys’ clubs,” Whippet Lab has a membership and members-only events. These events are co-sponsored with local and international organizations dedicated to fighting for social justice. These can include, for example, organizations fighting against racism, homophobia, sexism, classism, climate change, or who support animal rescue, the arts, economic equality, immigration, feminism, and refugees. Once or twice a month, during the days the restaurant/ bar is closed (Mondays), and they donate the space for a benefit event in conjunction with an organization. Social Justice Club members are invited and a small donation at the door. This gives members a chance to meet and socialize with people from organizations with which they might not otherwise be involved, creating a broad-spectrum social justice network, and finding ways for activists and organizers to work together on overlapping issues and projects. You can call it a Social Club for the resistance.
But it’s not all conscious activism, it’s also yummy and bubbly
With more than 25 different beers, an exclusive selection of wines and prosecco, carefully blended cocktails with homemade bitters, and food they call “creative cosmopolitan comfort food” that includes only vegetarian and fish options, vegans should have no problem finding delicious options. The Whippetlabbet Brygginkubator (brew incubator) is located in the restaurant as a separately owned 200 liter nano brewery. The resident brewer, Stina Nygårds, brews beer under her Fastrarnas bryggeri (the Aunties’ brewery) label. The idea is that it will be an ‘incubator’ of emerging young alternative brewers (meaning women, people of color, and other non-traditional brewers). After about a year, they will welcome one or two new brewers to join the incubator (buy into the collective) and give them the opportunity to grow from home brewing to 200L, retaining their brewery identity, and with a dedicated audience of our patrons at the bar. And once they get known, or if they want to go out and start their own brewery, they can leave the incubator (sell their shares) and they can offer the spot to a new brewer who wants to get their start in brewing. In addition, many well-known local brewers, will guest brew in the space and sell their beer exclusively on tap at Whippet Lab.
