It was another set of examples of gender disparity that has traditionally plagued the beer industry in the U.S. and around the world.

Despite being male-dominated, women are finding ways to navigate the industry and share their love for craft beer with others. These women increasingly shape the future of U.S. beer, one that’s guided with themes of diversity and inclusion.

Unfortunately, these same women regularly encounter situations that place their safety at risk. Working in a male-dominated industry puts women at a higher risk of experiencing sexual harassment on the job. The service industry is responsible for 14 percent of all sexual harassment complaints, according to Restaurant Opportunities Centers United. It’s reported that 90 percent of women in the service industry have experienced some form of sexual harassment. Because of this, many women in beer are looking for ways to maneuver uncomfortable and sometimes threatening circumstances. Some women shared how they’ve adopted a heightened awareness of their surroundings. They rely on regular check-ins with friends and co-workers, and some women have sacrificed everyday convenience for safety. While these extra precautions provide a layer of protection, spending extra time and money to avoid unsafe situations puts an undue burden on women working in the craft beer industry.

Amanda Oakes | Regional Sales Director | Montana

Amanda Oakes, a sales representative for Red Lodge Ales Brewing Co. in Red Lodge, Montana, used to spend two-to-five days on the road representing her brewery at beer events, maintaining accounts, and sharing Red Lodge Ales’ beer with drinkers across the region before COVID-19. Oakes loves selling beer because she’s really good at it, but life on the road isn’t always glamorous.

“Your safety is always at risk when you’re a single female, especially selling an alcoholic beverage product,” says Oakes, who has worked in beer for six years.

One night in 2006, Oakes packed up her car and headed back to her hotel after hosting a tap takeover at The Drink in Mandan, North Dakota. What she didn’t realize was a man from the event followed her back to the hotel’s front desk, where he pretended to be her husband to get a key to her room. When he unlocked the door, Oakes had the safety latch on, so he was blocked from gaining access to her room.

“One lesson I learned from that one situation is I never want it to happen again. So now when I check into a hotel room, I either will hand write a note or verbally let someone know that I am traveling alone,” says Oakes.

Since then, Oakes shares her story with other women in the industry and provides advice on ways to stay safe on the road. Unfortunately, Oakes’ story is not an isolated incident for women who travel for work. According to research from the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) in partnership with AIG Travel, 83 percent of women experienced one of more safely-related concerns or incidents while traveling for business in the past year.

Danya Bonner | Director of Sales | Montana

Danya Bonner, a director of sales at Lewis & Clark Brewing Co. in Helena, Montana, started working in the beer industry 15 years ago. Bonner understands the hazards of the job because of her friendship with Oakes. She typically feels safe when she’s out on the road for the brewery, but has been followed by men in an easy-to-spot work vehicle, which gets a lot of attention on the road for its beer-label design.

After being followed home one night summer, Bonner decided to leave her vehicle at the brewery instead of driving it home. “Now, I don’t take my work vehicle home. I usually park my work vehicle at my hotel if I’m in a different town or a different state and then Uber. I’ve probably spent a fortune on Uber at this point,” Bonner says.

But it’s not just an undue financial burden placed on her. She also checks in regularly with the brewery on the way home and encourages them to do the same, especially if they haven’t heard from her in a while. These extra precautions have become a way for Bonner to safely do the job she loves.

Sarah Swenson | Sales and Brand Manager | Arizona

Sarah Swenson, a sales and brand manager in Arizona, often volunteered to drive friends and colleagues home after an event. That changed after Swenson was allegedly sexually assaulted by a male colleague after dropping him off at his house.

Since the assault, Swenson has re-evaluated who she can trust. She used to see herself as a caretaker for her male friends. Now, she’s careful about who she drives home—whether a coworker or friend. Women should be able to feel safe with men they know, but statistics show that familiarity isn’t as safe as one would expect. According to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), 80 percent of rapes are committed by someone known to the victim.

Because they work in the same industry, Swenson would run into him at events. “He would make it a point . . . to sit down right next to me and act like we were best friends. He knew that if he would start a conversation in front of my bosses, that I would be professional and tolerate it,” says Swenson.

Like many, Swenson has taken on the burden of maintaining her professionalism in the face of a man who assaulted her. Research shows that 60 percent of women have experienced workplace sexual harassment and assault, but it’s rarely reported. Another study shows that Black women experience sexual harassment at work at three times the rate of white women—approximately 23 percent of Black women. While 20 percent of Latinx workers have reported experiencing sexual harassment.

The affects of experiencing sexual assault in the workplace are damaging and puts unwarranted stress on the women who have to work in proximity to their assaulter.

Nikki Johnson | Beertender-Certified Cicerone | Maryland

Life in the taproom comes with its own challenges. One summer evening in 2018, Nikki Johnson was closing up the taproom at a Georgia brewery. Initially, Johnson was having a friendly conversation with a lingeringmale patron. But as she started to close, she expected the patron to pay his tab and head home.

“He just was like hanging on. He asked for one more beer . . . and I was like ‘No, dude, I’m closing up. Sorry. I’m trying to be polite,’” Johnson says. After 20 minutes of waiting for him to leave, Johnson told him to leave. The patron told Johnson he was waiting on his Uber, but she got him to step outside and she locked the doors.

“There’s no one around,” Johnson recalled. “I could scream as loud as I wanted, and no one would hear it.”

While Johnson wasn’t to blame for the situation, she’s taken on the burden of being the solution. Now when she closes, Johnson is firm from the start with patrons. “I was afraid that being blunt with that guy would make him mad and [want to] retaliate,” says Johnson. “I wish I would have more vocally requested to not close alone anymore.”

Making the Beer Industry Safer for Women

It’s hard to estimate the toll unwanted encounters have on women, especially women of color who often have to navigate these situations along with the mental and emotional stress due to working in majority white spaces.

Eugenia Brown works full time in mental health and part-time as a beertender at Charlotte, North Carolina’s Free Range Brewing. While people have made provocative, sexual comments toward her, the most upsetting situations she has experienced are those where she’s ignored or dismissed by customers when trying to serve them.

“Trauma is trauma no matter what,” Brown said. “So when talking about the emotional trauma that happens when you feel invalidated as a person, when you feel like your existence isn’t being recognized and celebrated. You internalize that, and then you start to question if you do belong in that space.”

Instead of shifting the blame towards the perpetrators, often women reexamine and second-guess their actions, believing they have some part to play in the incident. Studies have shown that self-blame is highest in cases of sexual assault, which leads to higher cases of PTSD. For Black women, the combination of racism and sexism can heighten depression and PTSD symptoms.

Brewery owners and managers can help create a safe environment by empowering their employees to advocate for themselves if their safety is ever compromised. To do this, HR Professionals Kristen Ireland and Erin Mies of People Spark Consulting recommend breweries start by identifying their culture and values and keep them front of mind for leadership and employees.

“There’s no reason why you shouldn’t ask for help if you don’t feel comfortable,” says Tracey Bardugon, a taproom manager at Atlanta’s Fire Maker Brewing Company. She keeps an Atlanta Police Department’s non-emergency number on speed dial. And while this is great advice, women of color are less likely to seek out law enforcement than their white counterparts due to the systemic discrimination and oppression experienced by the police.

One common challenge for women, Nikki Johnson, a Beertender-Certified Cicerone from Maryland, says, is where breweries are located. With so many breweries in industrial zones, working late nights in a warehouse far from other businesses or people is daunting. “I would’ve had to run a block to reach a building with another human being in it,” Johnson says.

Swenson also encourages women to speak up about their experiences. Many women who survive sexual abuse feel guilty or ashamed after the experience. Instead of coming forward, they maintain their silence, which can be isolating.

However, reporting incidents of sexual harassment comes with the fear of retaliation from the employer or abuser. Retaliation could include low performance reviews, undesirable shifts, spreading of false rumors, threats, or firing. According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, retaliation is the most frequently filed issue constituting 51.6 percent of charges in FY 2018. The numbers are sobering and reflect an issue that extends beyond the beer industry.

”Don’t ever be afraid to tell someone what happened and what your situation was. And don’t be afraid to ask questions about how you [can avoid] being put in that situation again,” says Oakes.

This story was made possible by the Diversity in Beer Writing Grant, established by the North American Guild of Beer Writers in partnership with CraftBeer.com. Additional support for the grant comes from Allagash Brewing Company.

The post Creating Safe Spaces for Women in the Beer Industry appeared first on CraftBeer.com.

Metro Atlanta is home to a thriving LGBTQAI center. Though Atlanta proper has served as the epicenter for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, and asexual or allied community, many have moved south of the city into the Tri-Cities area. The Tri-Cities area originally encompassed East Point, Hapeville, and College Park but has grown to include Forest Park, Union City, and other surrounding cities.

Like others, Jamie Miles moved from the city of Atlanta to the Tri-Cities area. When asked what attracted him to the southside of the city, Miles says, “Tri-Cities offers an affordable lifestyle that is rich in culture and diversity. It’s growing very fast and has a strong community feel.”

And while many enjoy life on the southside of Atlanta, there’s one thing missing. “Tri-Cities is great but we don’t have a gay bar or anything on the southside of town,” says Miles. Atlanta has a bustling LGBTQAI bar scene that allows people from the neighborhood to socialize openly without prejudice. So Miles had an idea to bring together LGBTQAI residents on the southside.

A Safe Haven for the LGBTQAI Community

Miles approached Ashley Henry, the Tasting Room and Events Manager at Arches Brewing, with the idea for Arches to host the LGBTQIA Mix & Mingle, and she immediately said yes.

Similar to gay bars around the world, the mixer provides a safe haven for anyone in spite of their sexual orientation or gender identity/expression. “It’s an opportunity to mix and mingle with fellow neighbors in the LGBTQAI community,” says Miles. And having the mixer at a brewery gives LGBTQAI members the flexibility to make it a family affair since kids and dogs are allowed.

The mixer has already had a positive effect on the people in the Tri-Cities area. Miles shared a story about a couple who has lived in the area for the last three years. While the couple has visited other businesses in the area, at the mixer, they knew they were in a safe space where they could hug each other in public without any repercussions.

“You could tell there was something missing [in the neighborhood] by the amount of people that came. There was a big void in this community for this type of an event, so it’s been great to see …not only do we want to reach out and meet other people in our community, but give opportunities for people to connect,” says Henry.

Arches Brewing’s Commitment to Giving

Wanting to do even more, Arches Brewing offered to donate $1 from every pint to an LGBTQAI-affliated charity. Each month, Miles and Henry select a non-profit to donate to.

For the first mixer, Arches Brewing donated to Rainbow House Coalition, an organization dedicated to providing affordable housing for LGBTQAI members. The duo plans to donate to Alphabet Soup Atlanta, a transgender support group focused on helping individuals who are transitioning midcareer.

Later this year, Arches Brewing will host a kick-off party for the 50th Annual Atlanta Pride Parade. On October 3rd, the weekend before the Atlanta Pride Parade, Arches Brewing will host an all-day pride event featuring live music, comedy show, art, drag performances, food trucks, and a special beer release in honor of the festivities.

In the future, the duo would like to bring an interactive component to the mixer by providing food and beer pairings. They also would like to partner with other businesses in the area to increase interaction with the LGBTQAI community.

The post Arches Brewing Opens Doors to LGBTQAI Community appeared first on CraftBeer.com.

Among those at the incubator are two powerhouse brewers, Briana Brake and Celeste Beatty. The two now-friends have formed a strong bond over their love of beer and a shared vision that craft beer can bring beauty to communities where other people may only see disadvantage.

The story starts about 20 years ago in Harlem, New York.

Celeste Beatty’s Harlem Brewing

A century ago, Harlem served as a cultural mecca for many black writers, artists, poets, and singers. The city provided a haven from the oppressive cloud of the Jim Crow South and allowed black culture and social activism to thrive.

This movement expanded to many areas of the country and across the world to Paris. Even after the Harlem Renaissance, the neighborhood continues to hold meaningful significance to the black community. It should come as no surprise that the city that birthed the Harlem Renaissance would become home to the first black woman in the U.S. to own a brewery since the craft beer boom.

One day, Celeste Beatty pulled a homebrew kit she’d received as a gift out of the closet of her Harlem studio apartment. Her first batch of beer didn’t turn out well, but she didn’t give up on perfecting the recipe.

Beatty’s passion for beer grew, allowing her to combine her love for food, gardening, and community into one glass. Inspired by surrounding entrepreneurs, Beatty opened Harlem Brewing in 2000. Beatty describes it as a lonely landscape. There weren’t many independently-owned breweries in the region at the time–Brooklyn Brewing and Boston Beer Company were among a small handful. When she shared her plan to open the brewery with others, they couldn’t understand how Beatty would be able to compete with more established breweries.

Luckily, Beatty had the support of the neighborhood and people in it, including Sylvia “The Queen of Soul Food” Woods, founder and owner of the soul food eatery Sylvia’s Restaurant. The restaurant put Beatty’s beers on the map. The Woods family gave her the chance she needed to get her business off the ground.

Since then, Beatty has created beers that celebrate the rich cultural heritage of Harlem, including 125 IPA named for 125th Street, the main thoroughfare through Harlem; 125th street is home to the Studio Museum Harlem, the first museum devoted to works of art from artists of African descent and other notable buildings, including the Apollo Theater.

Though Beatty has a strong love for Harlem’s history and culture, eventually she would find herself back in her birth state of North Carolina.

(More: Women Flourish in Atlanta’s Craft Beer Scene)

Briana Brake: Blending Afrofuturism with Craft Beer

In 2013, Briana Brake was in the midst of law school in North Carolina when her love for homebrewing began. When Brake’s mother became sick, she had to put law school on hold, but she was able to devote more time to homebrewing. The more she worked at it, the better her beer got, and she soon realized that she didn’t want to go back to law school.

Brake started researching whether she could turn her new passion into a career. During her research, Brake came across an article about Beatty. Being a Durham native, she was excited to see that Beatty was also originally from North Carolina and had attended Shaw University.

In fall 2016, Beatty was judging on a business panel at Shaw University. It was there that the women met and immediately hit it off. Days later, Brake invited Beatty to help her brew a batch of beer. Things started falling into place, and Brake realized she could make her dream of brewing professionally a reality.

Brake would eventually create Spaceway Brewing. The name is an ode to Afrofuturism, an unapologetic imagining of arts, culture, and technology-infused with ancient African traditions and black identity. One well-known example of Afrofuturism is Marvel’s blockbuster “Black Panther,” a film that blends African culture with technology.

Brake recognizes the parallels between the scarce representation of minorities in pop culture and the craft beer industry. With the Spaceway brand, Brake says she hopes to “destroy the space between us” through craft brewing education, innovation, events, and community ownership. But first, she needed a home for Spaceway Brewing to grow and take flight.

(More: Founders of Montclair Brewery Celebrate Culture Through Craft Beer)

The Ghosts and the Beauty of Rocky Mount

A year after the two women met, Beatty spoke on a homebrewing panel during the Art of Cool Festival in Durham, North Carolina. Following the festival, the duo met with Sebastian Wolfrum, executive brewmaster for the Rocky Mount Mills, to discuss the brewery incubator space at the historic Rocky Mount Mills. Brake’s grandparents were from Rocky Mount so she was familiar with the area, but she was hesitant. It had a history she found hard to confront.

In a story that’s all too familiar, Rocky Mount depended on the cotton mill named for the town. Built in 1816 by enslaved people, the Rocky Mount Mill once served as the top-tier business for the area. When textile manufacturing moved overseas in the 70s, the mill struggled to stay afloat and eventually closed in 1996, striking a severe blow to the town’s economy. In the 80s, Rocky Mount’s downtown experienced urban decay, and the area deteriorated.

The history of the Rocky Mount Mill was a struggle for both women. Over its three decades of operations, the mill thrived from using a black workforce. Enslaved and freed blacks built and worked in the mill until the Civil War where they created uniforms for Confederate soldiers. For Beatty and Brake, the mill’s history hangs thick in the air forever reminding them of the past.

“I stepped foot on the ground, and it was beautiful, but I still had the weight of knowing what it was before. This place has a lot of ghosts that are not being talked about,” says Brake.

“You feel the spirit of the people every day,” says Beatty.

Since the town’s decline in the 80s, the city has grappled with having an unfavorable reputation, but Rocky Mount is now undergoing revitalization. In 2007, Capitol Broadcasting Company purchased the 82-acre campus to develop a mixed-use community that would include restaurants, lofts, event space, and a brewery incubator. The Rocky Mount Mill restoration will not only provide a space for the community to live, work, play and connect, but to change the perception of the town.

For Beatty, there were many connections between her first brewery, Harlem Brewing, and Rocky Mount Brewing. Both started in neighborhoods seen as undesirable because of their reputation as dangerous areas. From experience, Beatty understands that an area’s reputation doesn’t always reflect the true heart of the community. Rocky Mount is also the birthplace of jazz pianist and composer Thelonious Monk, and Beatty couldn’t say no to brewing in the same hometown of a legend.

“There are beautiful people in places that have challenges.” Celeste Beatty

“There are beautiful people in places that have challenges,” shares Beatty.

Beatty and Brake moved into the brewery incubator with the caveat that they would work with the owners to acknowledge the Rocky Mount Mills’ solemn history.

Fostering Inclusion and Growing Community at Rocky Mount Brewing

The incubator allows startup breweries to work on their craft without the immediate need for expensive equipment since the space includes everything they need to get started. The incubator includes a contract production facility that allows brewers to brew, ferment, keg, can/bottle, and distribute. The space is home to six breweries, including Rocky Mount Brewing.

Craft breweries are a big draw in North Carolina. According to the Brewers Association, North Carolina is home to more than 290 breweries and brewpubs. Only six other states have more breweries than North Carolina. With that, Rocky Mount Brewery is one of two black-owned breweries in the state of North Carolina and one of less than 50 women and minority-owned breweries in the country. Briana is the head brewer and CEO, while Celeste is the co-brewer and adviser.

Under the Rocky Mount Brewing name, Brake brews for Spaceway Brewing and Harlem Brewing South. The current focus is to open a taproom in the downtown area of Rocky Mount. Eventually, Brake plans to outgrow the incubator and return to Durham to open her own space.

Beatty and Brake share a love of beer and encouraging community growth while celebrating black culture both past and future.

“People of every culture have reached out to us. We’re all united by beer and [a desire for] community,” says Beatty.

Beatty and Brake hope to bring a festival to the area and open up mentoring opportunities for women interested in brewing and the craft beer industry. Their goal is to provide more educational and training events and foster more diversity in the brewhouse.

The post Briana Brake and Celeste Beatty on Ghosts and Beauty in Rocky Mount, NC appeared first on CraftBeer.com.

Mike Potter, founder and editor-in-chief of Black Brew Culture, Day Bracey and Ed Bailey, co-hosts of the Drinking Partners podcast, and their team could breathe a sigh of relief and host the first beer festival dedicated to celebrating black brewers.

Challenges of Brewing While Black

Opening a brewery is not for the faint of heart. It requires a ton of capital that’s difficult for many people to get regardless of their race.

Danii Oliver, owner and head brewer at Island to Island Brewery in Brooklyn, New York, says if you want to open a brewery, you have to be determined because a lot will come your way.

“You have to be stubborn. You have to be tenacious. You have to be narrowly focused,” Oliver says.

(Related: Lovibond & Hip Hop: Nappy Roots Talks Brewing)

Plenty of people may be up to the challenge, but the hurdles can be difficult to surmount, especially for people of color.

There are several issues affecting the mobility of black business owners but one significant hurdle is finding enough capital. In a survey from Black Enterprise, 80 percent of black business owners said: “lack of capital was the most challenging aspect of running a business.” Black Enterprise says that’s 10 percent higher than the average business owner.

The startup cost for a brewery is high, and the founders of Khonso Brewing Company, a contract brewing company based in Atlanta, say raising money is absolutely a hurdle for them.

“We don’t have the luxury of accessing capital within our community to explore a business opportunity,” says co-founder Kevin Downing. He says the mindset around money is different when there isn’t a history of wealth and connections. The black community is more conservative about investing in business opportunities.

Hip-hop group Nappy Roots started Atlantucky Brewery, which is currently a brewing venture where the founders homebrew as well as collaborate with craft breweries.  The group plans to open a brewery in the Atlanta area in 2020. Co-founder Fish Scales says explaining his venture to family and friends who aren’t familiar with craft beer is a challenge.

“I know they’ll appreciate and love it once we get it there. But to get my cousin to come to a brewery and buy a five dollar beer, that’s going to take some persuasion,” Scales explains.

Fresh Fest Connects Black Brewers

The phrase “you don’t know what you don’t know” can ring true for many who have dreams of opening a brewery. Navigating mounds of paperwork while trying to secure funding is not only tough but it can be discouraging. Having peers you can turn to is helpful but there are few black brewery owners in the country and many of them are separated by hundreds of miles, operating in different states.

“That’s part of why Black Brew Culture and Fresh Fest is in existence,” says Potter, “to help in spots that brewers can’t quite close the gap on.”

Fresh Fest offers the opportunity for brewers to bond and find support.

“We need to lean on each other to help create and foster community to help push our craft forward. No one else is going to do it,” says Downing.

(More: American Brewers Fall for Brazil’s Spicy Amburana Wood)

Kevin Blodger, co-founder and head brewer at Union Craft Brewing agrees.

“No one is doing anything like this … Mike, Day and Ed are trying to elevate what we do as brewers,” says Blodger.

Raymond Berry, president of White Lion Brewery in Springfield, Massachusetts, says Mike’s team did an outstanding job of identifying black and brown brewers and business owners and bringing everyone together to showcase their talents.

“Fresh Fest expands the conversation and trade into communities of color. It’s an additional vehicle to bring about awareness, education and pride,” says Berry.

The festival gives him a chance to share the story of White Lion Brewery and connect with communities who aren’t aware of all the great work that’s happening in the craft beer community.

(More: IPAs Dominate 2019’s ‘Best Beers in America’ Poll)

Many of the brewers compared the festival to a family reunion; they also say it helps bring relationships formed online into real life. Jon Renthrope, owner of Cajun Fire Brewing Company in New Orleans says that the conversations he had at the inaugural Fresh Fest were memorable and that the face-to-face interactions were rewarding.

“We don’t have those safe spaces where we can experience fellowship the way we did at Fresh Fest … there’s a void for this type of representation in the industry,” says Renthrope.

Chris Harris, founder and header brewer at Toledo, Ohio’s Black Frog Brewery remarked how the festival allowed him to connect with fellow black brewers. He found value in being around his peers and sharing ideas and struggles of working in the craft beer industry.

Fresh Fest also allows breweries to connect with target markets outside of their normal reach and connect beer lovers with a range of new flavor profiles.

“[You’ll get] a nice pulse check for the nation if you go to Fresh Fest,” says Renthrope.

The Future of Diversity in the Craft Beer Industry

The craft beer industry has been actively trying to shake the stigma of being a space exclusively for white men. As the industry expands, the desire to increase representation on both sides of the bar grows with it.

Cajun Fire’s Renthrope says that without diverse voices brewing, beer lovers are missing out on a range of different flavors profiles. He adds that from a business perspective, breweries have to reach out to all types of drinkers in order to sustain growth.

(Seek the Seal: Post Your Photos on Instagram)

“In order for craft beer to continue to grow, all communities must be involved,” says White Lion’s Berry. “Communities of color and women must come into the fold.”

Black brewers desire respect and recognition for their craft not because they’re black but because they’re good at what they do.

“We want to be in the conversation. We’re brewers who are black. Our beer is great, and it’s made by hands with a lot of melanin in them. I think we all want to be respected for our craft and contributions,” says Khonso Brewing’s Teasley.

“We want the emphasis on the product,” says William Moore, chief of operations at Atlanta’s Down Home Brewing. “We want people to enjoy and like our product.”

Fresh Fest 2019

The Fresh Fest team aims for the festival to be bigger and better in 2019. Already, the amount of vendors and black brewers attending has doubled from last year. The excitement among beer lovers and brewers new to the festival is palpable.

(Find: A US Brewery Near You)

Hannah says attending Fresh Fest will give him a chance to celebrate the progress they’ve made. He relishes in the idea that Khonso is a part of a club of black brewers.

Moore looks forward to networking and collaborating with other black brewers around the country. “If you’re winning, I’m winning. If we can all come together and collaborate only great things can happen,” says Moore.

Fresh Fest returns to Pittsburgh in 2019 and kicks off on Friday, August 9 with the first part of the Fresh Fest Symposium focused on discussing diversity and inclusion in taprooms. Later that day, the second half of the symposium will focus on providing aspiring brewers with tips and insight on how to break into the beer industry. The festival weekend concludes Sunday with a brewer’s brunch.

The post Fresh Fest Celebrates and Connects Black Brewers appeared first on CraftBeer.com.

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Bring Your Mom to Brew Day

Southern Prohibition Brewing (SoPro Brewing) is located in the heart of the south in downtown Hattiesburg. In 2018, head brewer Benjamin Green invited the brewery employees’ moms to join them for a brew day. He thought it was a great opportunity to show their mothers what they do. The mom brew day was so successful, the brewery made it an annual event.

He always wanted to take part in Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day, a national day that allows kids to get a glimpse into the working world. Green flipped the concept around to give parents a chance to see the inner workings of the brewhouse.

“It was awesome to bring our moms to work and show off what we do every day,” says Green.

Introducing Moms to ‘Motherboy’ Beer

SoPro Brewing planned the day around brewing a beer called Motherboy, a Berliner-Style Weisse with coconut, guava and grapefruit. Green chose it because it’s an approachable beer style for non-beer drinkers.

When Green shared the beer style with the mothers in 2018, the women were surprised. Most of the moms weren’t craft beer drinkers, and to the novice, coconut, guava and grapefruit sound out of place in a beer. But when they realized Motherboy beer had some of the same flavors found in the cocktails they normally enjoyed, they started to connect the dots and get excited about tasting the beer.

(More: What to Expect When Your Spouse is Expecting a Brewery)

“We utilize the coconut to keep the tartness in check while pushing what our mothers picture a beer is and can be,” says Green.

Green says when they tried it, some responded with questions like “This is beer?” and “Beer can be this?”

The brewery employees explained the different techniques, processes, and ingredients craft brewers use. Since Motherboy is a sour beer, the team also described the difference between a kettle sour and other beer souring techniques.

The day also included an in-depth tour of the brewery, a chance to check out the raw ingredients used in the beer, and an opportunity to ask questions. During the tour, the moms showed interest in different aspects of brewing. The tour started at the lab where some moms showed great interest in quality analysis (QA) and quality control (QC) aspects and yeast management. Others were fascinated by the centrifuge in the cellar. All the moms enjoyed stepping up on the brew deck and adding hops to the boil.

(Recipe: Beeramisu: Tiramisu Made with Beer)

At the end of the day, the group ended their shift with a few beers and lunch. Green said that they used the time to break down the misconception non-craft beer drinkers have about beer. Some moms were drawn to a beer called Coconut Puffs, a coconut milk stout. Even though having a “dark beer” made some a little apprehensive at first, once they tried it, the moms remarked how it tasted like coconut and chocolate –they were surprised by how much they liked it.

“There’s a craft beer out there for everyone. Beer’s flavor profile is across the board,” says Green.

Motherboy will be available in the taproom this Mother’s Day weekend with distribution to follow. Green and the SoPro Brew team are already looking forward to next year’s brew.

“This year was better than last year, and I can only imagine what next year entails,” says Green.

The post SoPro Brewing Holds ‘Bring Mom to Brew Day’ appeared first on CraftBeer.com.

Marilyn & Jennifer Edwards | 4J Brewing Company | Houston, TX

Jennifer started homebrewing with her dad, Larry, after she graduated from college. Their beer was a big hit at family events, so Jennifer and her mom, Marilyn, turned their hobby into a business. 4J Brewing, named for Jennifer and her three sisters — Jackie, Joanna, and Jessica — opened in Houston, Texas. While Jennifer and Marilyn run the day-to-day business, the other three sisters help on the weekend.

Jennifer, who has always wanted to become a business owner, admits that working with family is very hard but also very rewarding. “No matter what happens . . . you truly care for the well-being of the other person and want to see them succeed and see the company succeed,” says Jennifer. She says giving up isn’t an option, which keeps them motivated. She enjoys brewing beer for a living and says she loves waking up every day to work in craft beer. “The industry is so amazing and welcoming and we are so honored to be a part of it,” says Jennifer.

(READ: What to Expect When Your Spouse is Expecting a Brewery)

Christine Celis & Daytona Camps | Celis Brewery | Austin, TX

The late Pierre Celis, a Belgian brewer, is known for resurrecting the popularity of the Belgian-style witbier with his Hoegaarden beer. Christine worked with her father and fondly looks back at those times with her dad, who died in 2011. When Christine’s daughter Daytona decided that she wanted to follow in her grandfather’s footsteps, Christine was more than happy to support her. The pair continued Pierre’s legacy in 2017 when they reopened the brewery, exactly 25 years to the day the original Celis Brewery opened.

Daytona says she’s learned so much working with her mom. She’s learned to “never give up, be persistent and as strong as you can. Every day I’m learning new things [from my mom]. We’re learning together,” Daytona says. Christine has learned to be a leader who adapts to the changing times. “Whatever worked in the 80s and 90s doesn’t necessarily work now. You have to adapt,” says Christine. The mother and daughter pair attributes their ease of communication to their great working relationship. Christine also believes that quality time and their passion for the brewery and beer is what makes their relationship so strong.

Carol, Trina & Tatum Cochran | Horse & Dragon Brewing Company | Fort Collins, CO

Carol Cochran founded Horse & Dragon Brewing Company with her husband Tim. Her daughters Trina and Tatum Cochran have worked at the brewery since it opened in May 2014. Over the years, Trina has become a “Jane of all trades” handing everything from graphic design to payroll. Tatum fills in at the Fort Collins brewery part-time. Carol says she enjoys working alongside her daughters and seeing them navigate adulthood in a professional setting “It’s a rare blessing and we treasure it,” says Carol.

Carol has learned a lot from working with her daughters. “They are both incredibly independent thinkers and provide some great counterpoint to what I’m thinking,” she says. Trina and Tatum have learned how to stand their ground on decisions important to them and demonstrate their knowledge base to their parents. “Getting to spend time with them is the greatest thing . . . I feel incredibly lucky to get to work with my family,” says Tatum. She says working together has strengthened their bond as a family. She feels grateful to be a part of the dream her mom and dad had before she and her sister were born.

Amanda & Piper McLamb | Resident Culture Brewing | Charlotte, NC

Amanda and her husband Phillip McLamb opened their brewery in September 2017. While they were working hard to convert a warehouse that had been in her husband’s family since 1982, Amanda was also pregnant with their first child, Piper. She was around five-month-old when they opened their doors. Their Resident Culture family has watched her grow from a little baby into a walking, talking and running toddler. “She has a lot to say, loves to give hugs, high fives, and pounds. She’s the mayor [at the brewery],” says Amanda.

Amanda says opening a brewery while having her first child made for some quick lessons. At first, she was hard on herself when it came to caring for her daughter while handling the day-to-day business of the brewery. It wasn’t until her parents reminded her of the many people who raise children in family-owned businesses. She realized that “raising children is always mayhem and beautiful chaos.” Now Amanda’s happy that she gets to demonstrate hard work and a strong work ethic to her daughter every day.

Jackie & Desiree Cullen | River Styx Brewing | Fitchburg, MA

When Jackie and Scott Cullen signed the lease for their brewery and taproom, their daughter, Desiree, immediately stepped in to help when she realized how much effort the business involved. “She quickly became a staple to the core team helping with the build out, staffing, opening and beyond,” says Jackie.

When they started to work together, Jackie and Desiree realized that they were both leaders with strong personalities. Creating clear definitions of roles and responsibilities was one of their earliest takeaways. “We realized all our core leadership team has many different skills to offer and we quickly divided responsibilities based on strengths to create an effective team,” says Jackie.

Jackie says one of the greatest benefits of running a family-owned-and-operated business is having the chance to spend time together. River Styx customers love that the brewery is family owned, which has fostered a stronger family-friendly environment within the brewery. “Our customers are the best part of the job! We love to interact with the dogs, families and guests who visit our taproom every day,” says Jackie.

(LEARN: Beer Schools)

Anne & Brey Sloan | River Watch Brewery | Augusta, GA

Brey Sloan had plans to open a brewery with her husband in Augusta, Georgia, which had been without a brewery since Prohibition. While Brey was at brewing school in Germany, her husband passed away unexpectedly. Their daughter and son stepped in to help Brey with the business. Anne took over brewing at River Watch.

Brey says she and Anne have very similar personalities, which has its pros and cons. They discovered that they both had complementary skills that would benefit the brewery. Anne is a certified Cicerone® and brings both a great educational background and natural sensory abilities to the table. Brey has the training and experience to teach brewing science and recipe development, so together they come up with wonderful recipes.

Brey is a retired U.S. Army Colonel and relishes the time she gets to spend with her daughter. “That really is a marvelous thing, especially after my long Army career with the separations that entails,” says Brey. “We trust each other implicitly, which is a huge benefit. Beyond that, I would say that we each push each other to improve.” While it’s been a challenging road, Brey really enjoys the brewery life and being surrounded by friends and family. She considers herself to be quite fortunate.

Kathie & Erin Hickey | Streetside Brewing | Cincinnati, OH

Kathie is the co-founder and taproom manager of Streetside Brewing. When her daughter Erin returned home to Cincinnati, she started working a few shifts in the taproom. Soon they realized they needed a social media manager and events coordinator, and Erin became the obvious choice.

Kathie admits that there are challenges to being part of a family business. “We can push each other’s buttons, drive each other crazy, but ultimately we all work well together,” says Kathie. She has noticed that the family dynamic is something guests observe when they visit the taproom. “We want them to feel like they are home, and our vibe is very easygoing and fun, like our family,” says Kathie.

As author Melia Keeton-Digby says, “Mothers and daughters together are a powerful force to be reckoned with.” These mother-daughter brewery duos are certainly examples that hard work, communication, and love are the necessary ingredients in building a strong working relationship.

The post Mother-Daughter Beer Teams Talk Perks and Disadvantages of Brewing Together appeared first on CraftBeer.com.

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Army Couple Brings Beer to a Small Town

The quintessential small town that sits on the westernmost point of the Chattahoochee River thrived when it served as a vital thoroughfare for railway traffic through the South. West Point became a great place for textile mills until locations offshore looked more attractive. It’s a story that has affected small towns across the country. Residents feared that the city would turn into a ghost town until Kia Motors moved in down the street.

Brian Dunne, Chattabrewchee’s general manager in charge of the day-to-day operations, remembers the city during the mid-1990s. The downtown area where Chattabrewchee sits was empty with only a few businesses open in the area. Kia and Point University have both made a big impact on the community. “As a result, the downtown area has been renovated,” says Dunne. “Restaurants and businesses are moving in. West Point is making a resurgence.”

Chattabrewchee Southern Brewhouse became a part of that resurgence in 2017 and also holds the title of being the only brewery in America owned by an active-duty woman. Kathy Denehy serves as a major in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corp. She co-owns the brewery with her husband Mike, who retired as a lieutenant colonel in the Army after 21 years of service.

(VISIT: Find a U.S. Brewery)

Mike was approaching retirement when the couple began to seriously consider opening a brewery. Over the years, they tossed around the idea after Mike started homebrewing. One day, visiting Kathy’s mother who lives in the West Point area, the couple saw the vacant space where Chattabrewchee now resides.

Over several decades, the building had served as a furniture store. First a Rhodes Furniture store from 1944 to 1978, the building changed hands to a family who continued to use the space to sell furniture. A few years went by with the space sitting vacant, until Chattabrewchee purchased the location. The couple honored the building’s history by transforming the former Rhodes Furniture sign into a bar top. You can still see the imprint of the letters if you look closely.

Self-Service Stations are Good for Business

In the area, there are a few breweries that operate up and down I-85, including Beacon Brewing Co. and Wild Leap Brew Co. in LaGrange, Georgia, and Red Clay Brewing Company in Opelika, Alabama. But Chattabrewchee is the only brewery within a 400-mile radius to have a self-service tap system. The couple installed a self-service station after seeing it at a trade show. With the self-service tap station, guests can pour as little as an ounce of beer. This system promotes efficiency, reduces waste and cuts operating costs. Plus, “on a busy night, you might have to wait for the person ahead of you to finish pouring their beer, but there’s never a wait at the tap,” says Dunne.

(READ: America’s Veteran-Owned Breweries Build Communities)

Creative Genius Doug Whitt Brings the Flavor

Chattabrewchee has plenty to be proud of, and that includes the work of their head brewer, Doug Whitt. Whitt has complete creative freedom in the brewhouse. “He’s a creative genius,” says Dunne. A glance at the tap wall will quickly confirm that statement.

Their flagship beer is the Backwater Blonde, a light and crisp American Blonde Ale that has won multiple awards. One of their most interesting is the Cucumber Basil Cream Ale that tastes like a refreshing glass of cucumber water, but better. Instead of the traditional dark stout, Whitt brews white stouts which include white chocolate and Ethiopian Harrar medium roast coffee beans.

It’s clear that Whitt knows what he’s doing and has enough support to help attract the attention of beer lovers as they enter new markets. Chattabrewchee has been serving thirsty drinkers in the southern parts of Georgia into Alabama for more than a year, and this year, they’re moving into Atlanta. While expansion is on their mind, their priority is maintaining the quality that people in the area expect and love.

The post Army Couple Brings Beer to Small Town Georgia appeared first on CraftBeer.com.

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Atlanta also saw its first female-focused beer festival, Dames and Dregs. Its mission was to celebrate women in craft beer, both past and present with their slogan: Hail to the Original Brewer! Atlanta’s craft beer scene is still relatively new, opening doors for women who love beer to lead. We want to introduce you to some of them who are creating a space for themselves in the craft beer community.

Nancy Palmer | Georgia Craft Brewers Guild Executive Director

Nancy Palmer serves as the executive director of the Georgia Craft Brewers Guild. Palmer, along with her board of directors, was the driving force with state legislators to pass Senate Bill 85 (SB 85). With SB 85, brewers can sell their beer to consumers without the tour loophole. Last year, she received the Brewers Association’s F.X. Matt Defense of the Industry Award, making history as the first woman to earn it.

(More: A Bond Built on Creativity at Marble Brewery)

The guild is discussing what’s next on their agenda. They have to examine various aspects of the business to decide what will have the most significant impact, ease pressure points, and allow Georgia to compete in the marketplace. Palmer describes the process behind their next move as a balancing act. “[We have to] balance the needs of our current breweries, the needs of our industry and what our future breweries will need,” says Palmer.

Palmer encourages breweries to place women in leadership roles and allow them to serve as the face of the brand. She says breweries should recruit to help diversify their pool of applicants. Palmer believes that there is plenty of space for women interested in running a business within breweries.

Alexia Ryan | Beer Girl Co-Founder

Alexia Ryan grew up around people who thought that drinking beer was “unladylike,” but that didn’t stop her from developing a love for craft ales and lagers. When growler shops opened in Atlanta, Ryan got the idea to start one with her partner Erik Lewis. Ryan knew that some growler shops could be intimidating to women, so they named their shop Beer Girl to show that it would cater to everyone no matter their race or gender. “Everyone fits into the craft beer scene, but there’s a perception they don’t,” says Ryan.

After four years, Beer Girl has become a local favorite. Her shop attracts patrons from the surrounding neighborhoods and serves as a quick stop for people on their way to Hartsfield Airport. Ryan works in the Hapeville community to sponsor events and introduce locals to the world of craft beer.

Caroline King and Ashley Powers | Bitch Beer Podcast Founders

Last March, friends Caroline King, Ashley Powers, and Benjamin Guilbault started Bitch Beer Podcast which features “women who make beer and beer culture awesome!” They started with six pre-recorded podcasts and quickly realized that people had more interest than they expected. King and Powers come from theater backgrounds with no connections to the beer industry. “Often when people want to do something beer related, they’re already connected to the beer industry … we were just fans.” The beer community didn‘t hesitate to welcome them.

(More: Piney River Brewing Puts Tiny Town on the Map)

One of the greatest experiences they’ve had was hosting a panel at Dames + Dregs. But their favorite interview was with Ben Crawford from the “Phantom of the Opera” where they talked with him about the Broadway Brews Project. “Seeing how craft beer can seep into all other facets of life … it was the most truly, crazy, amazing thing,” says King. Since their first episode, they have reached 5,000 downloads and have no plans of slowing down in 2019.

Zuri Coleman | Second Self Beer Company Brewer

When you think about brewers, a soft-spoken, black, queer woman like Zuri Coleman is not usually what you traditionally picture. As one of only a handful of female brewers in the Atlanta area, she is a shining example of how hard work and determination can translate into a huge reward. Coleman started as a bartender at Atlanta’s Second Self Beer Company and worked her way up to brewing without having any prior experience.

Coleman showed interest in the brewing process, and Second Self’s founders Chris Doyle and Jason Santamaria were more than happy to teach her. It wasn’t long before Coleman pitched her first beer, the locally famous Margarita in Gose, which mimics the same salty sweetness of its namesake.

For women interested in working in breweries, Coleman recommends that they “reach out to smaller breweries about interning; they always need help.” Coleman continues to brew some fantastic beers for Second Self. She’s working on a plan for the Pink Boots Collaboration Brew Day, a day for women in the industry to brew together to celebrate International Women’s Day.

Molly Gunn | Porter Beer Bar Co-Owner

When Molly Gunn opened the Porter Beer Bar in Atlanta’s Little 5 Points, Brick Store Pub was the only other beer bar in town. In 2008, Gunn started the bar with her future husband, Nick Rutherford, and Porter Beer Bar become the first female-owned beer bar in Atlanta. Over the last 10 years, Gunn’s bar has become a local favorite for both casual drinkers and craft enthusiasts alike, and the beer menu is liable to impress even the pickiest drinkers.

(More: In Vinocervisia Veritas: The Rise of Wine Beers)

When asked about how we could change the perception that beer is a male industry, Gunn says, “We have to work it at all levels.” By getting more women to fall in love with craft beer, and then encourage them to work in the industry as brewers and owners, we can start to shift the market. She also says Atlanta is a welcoming place for women interested in craft beer. “We’re a newer craft beer scene. It’s great for women because doors are opening, breweries are opening,” says Gunn. She also points out that many people are still new to craft beer, so it’s a level playing field. There are plenty of beer experts in Atlanta, but for someone new to the scene it isn’t as intimidating as other markets.

Christine Stevens | The Pink Boots Society Chapter Leader | Atlanta Chapter

The Pink Boots Society (PBS) focuses on assisting, inspiring, and encouraging women in the beer industry through education. Stevens and five other members started the Atlanta Chapter of the Pink Boots Society in July 2018. Their members include Rebecca Royster, co-founder of the Dames + Dregs Beer Festival and Zuri Coleman, brewer at Second Self. Christine Stevens, who works as a brewer at New Realm, started the chapter to unite women in Atlanta. The Atlanta chapter will assist members with education, whether it’s attending seminars, taking technical courses, or providing help with Cicerone® certification.

(VISIT: Find a US Brewery Near You)

But PBS is more than an organization focused on education and career advancement. PBS provides a way for women to meet and share ideas and information in a male-dominated field. “It’s important to maintain a network of people who you know in [the beer industry]. It’s empowering for women to meet each other … it can be isolating when you’re working with a lot of guys all the time,” says Stevens. Next up, the chapter is working on their plans for the Pink Boots Society Hop for International Women’s Day on March 8.

The craft beer landscape continues to shift as it grows and expands. Women are carving out their own space in the industry. In Atlanta, where the craft beer scene is still growing, women are already transforming the business into a more inclusive environment for everyone, which will bring more lovers of well-crafted ales and lagers to the table.

The post Women Flourish in Atlanta’s Craft Beer Scene appeared first on CraftBeer.com.