Following a virtual brew event in 2021 due to COVID restrictions, Full Circle Brew Co. invited women to get together in person this year. ‘We Are Here’ is their second Pink Boots Society collab beer, brewed on International Women’s Day (IWD), 8th March.
The group involved in the creation of the beer includes women working in a multitude of roles within the beer and hospitality industry; from brewers and bartenders to business owners and writers, plus general craft beer fans, too.
The beer name chosen by the group is ‘We Are Here’, to support the IWD theme of #BreaktheBias for 2022. Full Circle’s aim for the beer release is to help dispel the biases and stereotypes that continue to surround women within the craft beer industry.
We Are Here
The label was painted by Full Circle’s Taproom Supervisor, Eddie. “Leading, emerging, unapologetic presence. Together…We are here to brew a wonderful beer, in an industry overwhelmed by male leadership, and we are here to do it together.” You can read all about Eddie’s inspiration for the artwork and its importance in conveying the #BreakTheBias message in this blog post.
The Beer
‘We Are Here’ is a 5.1% vegan-friendly New England pale, brewed using the fifth annual Pink Boots Blend from Yakima Chief Hops (YCH). You can expect big hits of citrus, sweet aromatics, melon and tasty berries.
The hop blend consists of Idaho Gem™, HBC30, Talus™, Triumph and Loral®. Tiffany Pitra, YCH Sensory Manager says “This year’s blend recipe is exciting because it features Idaho Gem™, a variety developed by a women-run hop farm, Gooding Farms, in Parma, Idaho.”
A proportion of the proceeds from the beer are being donated to The Pink Boots Society, alongside some brand new initiatives from Full Circle in partnership with Brewlab. These new initiatives are investing in educational opportunities to encourage and inspire women.
Launch Event
‘We Are Here’ officially launches on Thursday 14th of April at Full Circle Brew Co.’s taproom. The Tank Room will be hosting a range of industry speakers on the night:
Brian Yorston – Course Manager, Brewlab
Brian will be presenting an introduction to Brewlab, including information on their different brewing courses, and alongside the Full Circle team will be unveiling more information about the new scholarship opportunities.
Alison Douglas – Laboratory Manager & Business Development Coordinator, Brewlab
Alison is leading a sensory tasting of ‘We Are Here’ and shall be talking about her experience managing laboratories and yeast banks.
Red Kellie – Co-owner & Head Brewer at The First & Last Brewery, Founder of Stu Brew, Graduate of Brewlab
Red will be speaking about her family business set up in rural Northumberland, which brews a range of foraged beers taking advantage of seasonal hand-picked ingredients.
Sandy Tse – Brewer at Full Circle Brew Co., Project Worker at Stu Brew, Graduate of Brewlab
Sandy shall be talking about her experiences not only as a brewer at Full Circle, but her involvement in Europe’s first student-run microbrewery, Stu Brew, based at Newcastle University.
Information about the ‘We Are Here’ launch event can be found on Facebook. More details about breweries here in the North East can be found in our Brewery Directory.
You can also follow Full Circle on social media for more updates: