by Nix Prabhu

Amongst the group of women who signed up for the International Women’s Collaboration Brew Day (IWCBD) brewing session held at Anarchy Brew Co. were a few who, although they have been involved in the beer industry in various ways, see themselves as being on the fringe of the industry. This is the story of their beer journey up to the brew day on 8th March 2020.

Clare’s Story

Clare Moore who owns Brewery Jewellery has some knowledge of homebrewing but was keen to see how it was done on a larger scale. She found it very educational to be able to have a conversation and learn about each stage and what went into the formulation even before they met up on the day.

In addition, Clare, who had debilitating mental health issues was using this experience to test her mettle and try and do things on her own without the backup of her partner Ian. 

Sophie’s Story

2 Knives Kitchen (formerly Rib ‘n Rub) operated out of the Anarchy tap room from October 2018 until lockdown this year, and co-owner Sophie Forster wanted to take part to see the fine details of the brewery process, how different variables can make or break a brew. She particularly liked how manual the process was as opposed to other breweries which have a less hands on approach via a digital interface. 

Amy’s Story

Amy Peasland was delighted to be included in the invite. With a PhD in Cancer Research and currently the Biobank Manager at Newcastle University Medical School, her connection to the beer industry is via her husband Chris O’Malley who is the Project Lead at Stu Brew, Newcastle University’s student-run brewery.

“I was very pleased to be asked!”, Amy said. “With a husband who brews beer, I hear a lot about the brew days, the successes and the tricky parts. But I’ve never been involved myself. I loved that I got to see each part of the process and learn more about it. I love the science parts. Les (Anarchy’s Head Brewer at the time of the event) explained everything so well, I did feel we were learning from an expert!”

My Story

The allure of a hands-on brewing experience is something I was determined not to miss out on – even if it meant a long day trip. I’m based up in Glasgow where I also manage local womxn’s beer group, Glasladies Beer Society, but had been travelling regularly to Newcastle since launching Craft Beer Passport UK last year.

I’ve worked in the beer industry for some years now, but there’s never been the opportunity for me to brew professionally. To be able to do this at a brewery whose beers I love was extra special!

The IWCBD Brew Team

At the end of the day, all the women agreed as fun and informative as the brew session was, having the opportunity to meet and interact with other women from the industry was equally as valuable. 

From my perspective, it was great to actually meet women who I’d previously only heard of via the beer grapevine or interacted with on social media. As a relative newcomer to the UK beer scene and also as a woman in a male dominated industry, events like this give me a wonderful opportunity to build my network. 

For Amy, the day was made even more special as she got to share part of it with her young daughter. “She was thrilled that ‘Mam and the ladies, and Les, made a beer!’ This is so important because she’s only 6, and it illustrates to her that women can do all types of work, including roles like brewing that are often male dominated. Events like this help to make these careers more accessible for girls, raise aspirations, and break some gender stereotypes and boundaries. 

And that’s not a bad agenda for a Sunday afternoon of beer!

More about IWCBD

Held each year to coincide with International Women’s Day, the IWCBD event embraces all women who brew (whether it be on a commercial basis or for their home brewing hobby). The aim of the day is for women who are passionate about beer to get together and brew.

Through the course of collaboration people learn, network and develop their own personal skills. Brewers help each other out, advise where necessary and when asked, this is a natural part of the brewing community and aids good beer to be produced. IWCBD was set up to help develop this ethos among brewers.

Yakima Chief Hops partnered with Pink Boots Society, a global nonprofit organisation dedicated to women in the brewing profession, to create the annual hop blend in celebration and support of women in beer.

The ‘Pink Boots Blend’ was used for the 2020 brew day, with a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the beer sent to benefit the Pink Boots Society scholarship funds. You can read more about the hop blend here.

Guest blog post by Nix Prabhu. You can check out more from Nix over on Twitter at @CraftBeerPassportUK + @Glasladies.