International Women’s day is a time to reflect on women’s issues of past and present, take action towards change, and to celebrate ourselves and our fellow woman. The history of when and where the very first International Women’s Day took place is slightly unclear but most early reports pin it around the dawn of the 20th century. The United Nations officially named March 8th as International Women’s Day in 1975.
In the beer world there are a couple key organizations that focus on celebrating women in the brewing community on International Women’s Day. The International Women’s Collaboration Brew Day (IWCBD) organization was founded by a UK based Brewster (what they call female brewers) group called Project Venus. That group was able to collaborate with other women’s brewing organizations across the world to make this international event a reality. Here in the United States that organization was the Pink Boots Society. In 2014 the very first IWCBD took place. The aim of the day is for women who are passionate about beer to get together and brew whether they are professionals in the industry or just drink and brew as a hobby. Each year a theme is chosen for the brew. This year’s theme was Tribute. On March 8th hundreds of breweries and thousands of women across 9 different countries took part in IWCBD.
As mentioned above, another women’s organization that celebrates women in brewing as part of international Women’s Day is the Pink Boots Society. This organization was founded in 2007 to support women who actively work in the beer industry or have retired from it. They play a vital roll in organizing IWCBD but they also use this special day to raise funds for education and programming for women in the brewing industry. In 2018, they formed a partnership with Yakima Chief Hops to develop a special hop blend for International Women’s Collaboration Brew Day. The blend is determined by Pink Boots members each year at their annual Great American Beer Fest (GABF) meeting. For every pound of the special blend purchased, $3 is donates to the Pink Boots Society to help women in the industry further their knowledge and make career advancements in the brewing industry. This year’s Pink Boots hop blend consists of Azacca, El Dorado, Idaho Gem, and Loral hops, creating a blend of tropical, citrus, and slightly piney aromatic qualities.
Several chapters of Girls Pint Out were among the many that participated in this year’s IWCBD. Bryan/College Station GPO of Texas held their 4th IWCBD event with Blackwater Draw Brewing Co. They chose Texas native, Janis Joplin as their Tribute in accordance with this year’s theme. They brewed a white IPA with notes of lemon and lime with the intention of adding whiskey post fermentation (Janis’ drink of choice). Due to Covid-19 they were unable to make the whiskey addition but the brewery did release the beer “Hoppin Joplin” in cans this month.
The ladies of Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti Girls Pint Out in Michigan participated for their 2nd years in IWCBD. Both years they sought to work with local breweries with females at the forefront of the operation. This year they partnered with Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales and North Peak Brewing Company who have a female microbiologist, production brewer, and cellar women on staff. They chose to brew a Brut IPA using the Pink Boots hop blend called “Like a Boss”. The beer was brewed as a tribute to a local domestic violence shelter for women called Safe House. The breweries have agreed to release the beer to benefit the shelter. Unfortunately, the release party has been postponed due to Covid-19.
Columbus Girls Pint Out in Ohio partnered with Parsons North Brewery for their very first International Women’s Day Brew. They did their brew in January in order to release the beer on International Women’s Day. They brewed an East Coast IPA with pineapple, mango, and guava called “It’s Women’s Day Beaches”.
If your chapter would like to participate in International Women’s Collaboration Brew Day this coming year all you need to do is reach out to a local brewery and see if they are willing to work with your chapter. Fall or early winter would be the best time to get the ball rolling so that you have plenty of time to nail out details for brew day. Some breweries have very limited space in their brew house so keep that in mind. They may only be able to accommodate a small number of members for the brew day. It is important that the effort is a true collaboration so make sure they are comfortable letting you be hands on with determining the specifics of what you will brew. Next, you can register your event on the International Women’s Collaboration Brew Day website or facebook page so that it is added to there list of international participants. You can also talk to the brewery about looking into using the Pink Boots hop blend if it fits with the style of beer you decide on.
I hope that we as an organization continue to impact the craft beer community to be more inclusive to women both as customers and professionals. By participating in events such as International Women’s Collaboration Brew Day and supporting other women’s craft beer organizations like Pink Boots Society, maybe it will help do just that.
