Female Brewers are Stirring the Pot
On Blake Street on the outskirts of downtown Denver, the Bierstadt Lagerhaus’ open warehouse unfolds into a lively scene. Inside the building, a straight staircase leads upstairs to the bar. Vibrant flags hang from the rafters proudly bearing the names of Denver’s various professional sports teams.
Behind the square shaped bar, chatty bartenders pour golden liquid into glasses ranging from small mugs to ten-inch tall boots. Rows of clean beer glasses sit patiently on the shelves waiting to be filled under the long row of shiny tap handles. Owner and head brewer Ashleigh Carter walks along the line of customers, exchanging hugs and greetings. She asks about each customer’s drink of choice, which she brewed only a few weeks ago.
Carter is a rarity in the brewing industry. According to a study from Stanford University, only 4 percent of all head brewers in the United States are women. Although the beer brewing industry is traditionally male-dominated, that number is increasing as more women are creating their career paths using hops and malts.
Brewing up gender equality
Carter entered the beer brewing industry in 2011 working in a home brewing beer store attached to Dry Dock Brewing Company in Aurora, Colorado. She began shadowing the head brewer regularly to learn the logistics of beer brewing. When he left as head brewer after a few months, the job was the perfect fit for her. Carter has worked in the beer industry since then and is now the owner and head brewer at the Bierstadt Lagerhaus.
Carter explained that people don’t always think females are capable of the job, especially right off the bat. “It’s a little bit harder to be a woman in this industry,” Carter said.
Brewing beer is a physical job that demands lifting heavy equipment and requires intellectual skills to figure out how to actually brew the beer. Carter believes the mechanical side of beer brewing is the most daunting for women.
“Women tend to not grow up fixing their own cars,” Carter remarked. She experienced many instances of doubt and even shock when people discovered she was the head brewer at the Bierstadt Lagerhaus, especially in her first few years.
“As an owner and head brewer, it takes people a second to realize I am the person in charge, but I am not really treated differently now and it’s because I’ve proven myself,” said Carter.
According to a story about women in the brewing industry by The Atlantic, the oldest record of beer brewing shows it was made and sold almost entirely by women in Ancient Egypt dating back to 4,500 years ago. It only became a male-dominated industry when there was a shift to an industrial-based economy and beer brewing left the home and entered the commercial landscape.
Karen Hertz is the founder, owner and chief brewista of Holidaily Brewing Company in Golden, Colorado. Hertz says, “It’s a male-dominated industry, but most industries are male-dominated. It’s important not to be intimidated.”
Hertz entered the beer brewing industry after she faced and overcame serious health complications. In 2002, she was diagnosed with melanoma and thyroid cancer. As a result, she removed gluten from her diet. Hertz loved beer and suddenly, could no longer drink it. So, once she became healthy, she decided to open a gluten-free brewery that came to life in 2016.
Strength in Numbers
Three female co-founders of Lady Justice Brewing Company in Denver, Colorado- Betsy Lay, Kate Powers and Jen Cuesta- opened their brewery in August of 2016 to support non-profits that create opportunities for women and girls.
“For us at Lady Justice, we don’t experience the same hardships because there are three of us,” says Lay, co-owner and head brewer. The owners receive respect from most people and Lay thinks the trio of female power helps.
Luckily, for women who lack female co-owners, support can be found pouring in from other women in the beer brewing industry.
Lay, Power and Cuesta had the opportunity to connect with other female brewers in Denver and brew a beer called “pussy riot” for Trump’s inauguration day. The goal aimed to prove women have power as well as give a voice to local female brewers.
The Pink Boot Society, founded in 2007, is an international non-profit organization that supports women in the craft brewing industry. Women can connect to mentors, network with other female brewers, and raise awareness about female brewers. There are 88 chapters worldwide with over 1,800 members.
“The beer brewing industry in general has a lot of camaraderie. We’re all doing it because we love it and our competitors are also our friends,” said Carter.
The women at Lady Justice would agree. “I would say the Denver community is very well supported because there is a large number of women in the brewing community,” said Lay.
Crafting the beer industry
Craft beer is defined as a beer brewed in a non-mechanized way in a small brewery producing one million barrels or less.
According to the Brewers Association, a non-profit trade group, craft breweries make up 98 percent of all American breweries. In 2017, there were 6,266 craft breweries in the United States and 348 in Colorado alone. That breaks down to 8.4 breweries per capita in Colorado, based on every 100,000 individuals over the age of 21.
Clearly, this popular industry is growing. The Brewer’s Association reports that the craft brewing industry contributed $76.2 billion to the U.S. economy in 2017 and $3.16 billion to Colorado’s economy.
Carter said there are fifteen breweries within one square mile of the Bierstadt Lagerhaus. With many options neighboring Carter, she must make her brewery stand out among the surrounding sea of craft beers.
To stay alive in this competitive industry, breweries must stand out from the masses of other craft breweries in Colorado. The women from the Bierstadt Lagerhaus, Lady Justice Brewing Company, and Holidaily Brewing Company are doing this in distinctive ways.
Today, many microbreweries often experiment with unorthodox flavor combinations and making unique beers that were unheard of a few years ago. Mixing in citrus fruit, using chocolate flavors, and creating highly alcohol-concentrated beers are very common; the average alcohol by volume (ABV) of a craft beer is above 5.9%.
For that reason, Carter has chosen to keep her beers simple.
With only three traditional beers offered on tap, the vibe of her brewery offers a unique combination of styles. The long wooden rectangular tables and high ceilings provide a taste of a traditional European beer hall, yet the warehouse setting modernizes the idea. Bright neon signs decorating the walls tie in the feel of a typical bar.
Hertz emphasizes the fact that her beers are gluten free and Lay focuses on the aspect that Lady Justice Brewing Company donates to non-profit organizations that thrive to create opportunities and support for females.
There’s no ‘I’ in team
Connor Ventura is the head Brewer of Finkle and Garf Brewing Company in Boulder, Colorado. He works closely with Lucia Stiglich, who joined the brewing team in September of 2018.
Ventura enjoys the presence of a female brewer and said, “I prefer diversity. Everyone has a unique perspective to bring to the table.”
Ventura then mentioned, “If anything, females have more taste buds than men. They can taste more than us, they have the ability to find things on a palette that we can’t.”
He isn’t wrong. An article by National Public Radio talks about how women actually have a better and more diverse sense of taste than men. Therefore, women can help the beer brewing process in ways that men cannot.
Ventura noted that at other breweries, women often struggle moving up in the company ladder simply because of their gender. This could be for many reasons, but Ventura thinks the main factor points at the brewing industry being a traditionally male dominated space and women may not fit that masculine mold.
“Brewing is a very physically demanding job, but anyone can do it. It’s about the passion you have,” said Ventura.
He and Stiglich stood in front of eight stainless steel vats towering fifteen feet tall, resembling silent giants frozen in a neat line. As they worked on separate tasks, they still asked each other for advice and talked through the complicated steps of the brewing process. It was clear the two made a powerful and well-rounded team.
Stiglich faced gender discrimination in the brewing industry in the past. She said, “In my last brewing job, I missed out on job opportunities because I was a woman and solely because of that.”
She talked about setbacks she experienced because as a woman, she was forced to prove herself. Stiglich is not alone; Carter has undergone the same routine of having to prove herself in the brewing industry.
Stiglich thinks this is because of stereotypes based on experience. According to an article by National Public Radio about women in the brewing industry, beer brewing is often thought of as a boy’s club. These are the stigmas that Stiglich is referring to. She thinks this is true in more aspects than the brewing industry.
“In life, you have certain setbacks as a woman,” said Stiglich. “It’s just part of our reality. The way that you face those setbacks and move on from them is what’s important.”
Both Stiglich and her brewing partner Ventura are optimistic about the future. Ventura mentioned, “Going forward, we can crush stereotypes and stigmas of women in the industry. It’s going to be awesome to see that happen.”
A balancing act: changing the industry
Since 96 percent of head brewers are male, female brewers can feel a lot of pressure to carve their unpaved path. Carter says this is a difficult task and is still trying to navigate being a female in this industry.
Wearing minimal makeup with her hair thrown up in a messy bun behind a think purple headband, she said, “Sometimes you have to carry the weight of an entire gender on your shoulders.”
She mentioned that if someone has a bad experience with a female brewer, that individual might form a negative stereotype about all female brewers. Carter is proud to be a female head brewer, but she doesn’t want that to solely define her. Trying to change people’s mentality about women in the industry starts by normalizing it.
“I’d rather not say female brewer. I am just a brewer. You never hear people say male brewers,” said Carter.
Lay from Lady Justice Brewing Company said many people are adamant about their opinions on female brewers. She said the voice of the brewing industry often comes from male voices, which makes it hard for women to be heard, saying, “Men value the opinion of a male bartender or brewer before a female.”
Carter would agree. She can recall instances where she and her male brewer went to conferences and she often does not get the respect and recognition she deserves. “A lot of times they will shake his hand and not mine.”
Craft brewery consultant Alex Violette has been in the brewing industry for nine years with many different breweries and roles. He started home brewing in college and in 2009. Since then, Violette has brewed in three different breweries located everywhere from Boulder to Thailand. He now lives in Knoxville, Tennessee and recently started a brewpub called the Elkmont Exchange in 2017.
After working alongside females in the industry for years, Violette believes it’s important to diversify the industry on the basis of gender.
“I think it’s great having the industry employment represent more of the population in general,” Violette remarked. “When craft beer was started, there were a lot of guys involved, but as it gained popularity, many more women became interested and evolved the industry as a whole. I think it’s a great thing.”
In traditional beer marketing, objectifying women played a major role. Violette talks about advertisements with women in bikinis with men sitting around drinking a Bud Light. Violette admires how craft brewing advertisements tend to focus on unique flavors and delivering a premium product to the consumer.
“We can’t dilute the effort it takes to brew craft beer,” said Violette, referring to craft beer marketing.
The women who are normalizing the concept of women in the brewing industry have come a long way, but there is still more to overcome. Ultimately, the support from both women and men will lead to more successful females in the beer brewing industry.
“It’s not just a dude with a beard. It’s a pretty wide range, skinny people, fat people old, young, women and men,” said Carter. “Changing people’s instantaneous reactions is important and it’s great to be recognized not as a woman in this industry, but as a professional brewer.”
Carter is not alone. Ventura and Stiglich both see a promising future for women in the beer brewing industry. Ventura
Stiglich said, “The future is female. I hope it’s something we don’t discuss moving forward, it’s just people brewing beer no matter if they are men or women.”
