Females are flipping the male-dominated brewing industry on its head.
For about 10,000 years, beer fermentation was cloaked in mystery and, thus, left to the women. Ninkasi, the Mesopotamian goddess of beer and brewing, oversaw the unknown chemical process that created the much-loved beer and the women who made our favorite frothy drink.
Mostly, the women made and sold beer commercially in Medieval England. Female beermakers wore pointed hats, so they would be recognized on Market Day as alewives, brewesses, or brewsters. They kept cats to chase mice away from the granaries and posted brooms outside their doors to let customers know when the beer was ready and the party could begin. They were good at their craft.
Soon after Louis Pasteur discovered the fermentation process in 1857, the beer industry became a male-dominated field. Only the rare female drank or brewed beer, much less owned a brewery. Society encouraged women to drink wine or cocktails, which were considered far more ladylike than beer.
Fortunately, these days, women are an increasingly more common sight in the brewing industry. We spoke to several women in the Reno-Tahoe brewing scene about what challenges they face and the strides they’re making in leveling the beer industry playing field.
Innovative Thinking
Reno’s Bonda Young set out to change the dynamic between women and beer, one customer at a time. Bonda and her husband, Tom, founded Great Basin Brewing Co. in Sparks in 1993.
“When I began in the beer industry in the 1990s, I felt it was my duty to educate women and open their eyes to the possibility that they could really like beer,” Bonda says. “I would tell them, ‘I am positive I can find a beer you will like. Do you like chocolate or coffee? Let me show you this stout.’ It was my job to help women think outside the box that was placed around them.”
Her persistence paid off; that kind of creative and positive thinking is exactly what has increasingly drawn women to beer.
“The cultural shift in the beer industry to becoming artisanal attracted more women,” says Alicia Barr, who co-founded FiftyFifty Brewing Co. in Truckee with her husband, Andy, in 2007. “Different points of view and creative perspectives at the table broadened the audience and our reach.”
These early pioneers paved the way for female brewers such as Emily Werman, head brewer at Cold Water Brewery & Grill in South Lake Tahoe.
“People are often surprised that I am the head brewer,” Werman says. “I struggled getting into the industry. But once I made a Rocket Pop seltzer and colored it blue, both men and women loved it. When I got to CWB, I ordered all purple equipment for the brewhouse. We’re breaking the stereotypes and flipping the beer industry on its head. But we’re all having fun doing it.”
After all, as the saying goes, if you’re not having fun, then you’re doing it wrong. The same goes for the beer industry.
“I love the beer industry because of the camaraderie and collaboration,” Barr says, recalling her early days spent at beer festivals. “The one good thing about being one of the few women was that, for once, the women’s bathroom line was shorter than the men’s!”
Yin and Yang
Beermaking requires an imaginative, alchemic blend of science and art. It involves a complex series of biochemical reactions to convert barley to fermentable sugars, then to allow yeast to live and multiply, converting those sugars to alcohol. Brewing also requires the artistry of trusting one’s creative instincts and wild ideas.
“Once, I grated 20 pounds of cucumber and infused it in vodka for a pickle pilsner,” Werman says. “I had no idea if it would work, but it was a hit. We named this beer ‘kind of a big dill.’”
Combining talents and points of view as well as flavors is the key to success in the beer industry. Quite a few husband-and-wife duos make the most of their differing skill sets.
“I take pride in the fact that FiftyFifty is truly a family business,” Barr says. “Andy focuses on business strategy, and I handle the experiential side of the business through HR and marketing. It’s the perfect yin and yang.”
Yin is female energy associated with relationships and mystery. Yang is male energy associated with action and will. As these local brewers and brewery owners explain, both perspectives are valuable to the craft.
Dana Fleming, a woman who also works at FiftyFifty as its head brewer, got an early start in the brewing industry from her father.
“My dad was a home brewer and wine rep,” Fleming says. “He taught me a deep appreciation for the artistry in creating depth and the complexity of layering flavors.”
With effort and dedication, anyone can improve their ability to detect the nuances of the taste profiles of bitter, sour, salty, and sweet, or the top, base, and middle notes. A mindful brewer seeks to layer pleasing or interesting combinations of flavor and scent notes in the beers they make. This skill is not particular to gender.
“I have worked hard for the last 30 years to develop my taste buds,” Young says. “I can detect subtle notes and the presence of diacetyl, a flaw in beer. My opinion matters, and that feels good.”
Pink Boots Society
Although the actual brewing and flavor development processes aren’t specific to gender, the career is physically demanding, particularly for women, which is why it’s critical to lean on each other and be innovative in solving problems.
“It’s not easy to get brewing gear for women, such as protective gloves for smaller hands or steel-toed boots for smaller feet,” says Racquel Kimball, brewer at Mountain Rambler Brewery in Bishop. “I am an independent woman. I had to learn to ask for help carrying 55 pounds of grain and full kegs.”
This kind of transparency about physical limitations can feel like a weakness, unless you turn the willingness to be vulnerable into the superpower of community. Werman stresses how women must be willing to ask for help and can’t be afraid to admit mistakes in order to learn and improve, which has led to more collaboration and fresher ideas.
In the spirit of supporting women brewers everywhere, Teri Fahrendorf, a brewer in Portland, Ore., founded the Pink Boots Society in 2007 while on a road trip for a beer adventure.
“What I found were many new or young women brewers who had never met another woman brewmaster and, in fact, had never met another woman brewer,” Fahrendorf says. “They had each felt throughout their careers that they were the only ones and, thus, felt quite alone.”
Any woman, anywhere in the world, who earns her income from beer can join Pink Boots Society, an organization in which education and the exchange of ideas are high priorities. Every March, which is Women’s History Month, member brewers create a special beer for the Pink Boots Collaboration Brew Day. A portion of the proceeds helps to fund webinars, scholarships, and social meetups that assist, inspire, and encourage the professional development and education of women and non-binary individuals in the beer industry.
FiftyFifty’s Fleming founded the Reno-Tahoe chapter of Pink Boots, which now has 10 members who contribute to the community of nearly 2,600 members worldwide.
“I hope that someday I will be interviewed as an accomplished brewer, not as a female brewer,” Fleming says.
In fact, Fleming’s accomplishments are impressive for any gender — she has won three World Beer Cup medals in her two years as head brewer.
“As a woman with over 15 years in leadership,” says Melanie Hubbert, who co-owns Cold Water Brewery with her husband, Kevin, “I’ve seen firsthand the power of resilience and community among women in the beer industry. Leading other women has given me the experience and strength to thrive as an owner today, where I’m proud to run a woman-led team with a dedicated brewer who shares my vision.”
Ninkasi herself would be proud.
For details about how to support women brewers or the Pink Boots Society, visit Pinkbootssociety.org.
