This year, we’re also honouring one of the most influential figures in Canadian brewing and brewing education: Nancy More.

Five Questions with Nancy More

Could you describe your career in a nutshell?

“I joined Labatt as a technical trainee and then worked at breweries across Canada,” Nancy says. “My 15 minutes of fame were being appointed Head Brewmaster at Labatt New Brunswick, the first woman to hold that level of position.”

Her career quickly became international. “I moved to Russia with SunInterbrew to help improve quality, breweries, new beers, and leaders across Russia and Ukraine.” She later worked with InBev Global and Guinness.

“When I returned to Canada, Kwantlen was starting up the Brewing and Brewery Operations program. Dominic Bernard and I co-wrote the curriculum, and I taught from the inception of the program through to 2025.”

What did you enjoy most on a day-to-day level?

“My favourite parts of any job worked well together: developing people and solving problems,” she says. “A great way to develop people is to coach them through solving problems they experience on the job.”

She adds, “One of the best parts of working in our industry is seeing how your products help people enjoy life and celebrate important moments.”

What moment feels most defining when you look back?

“Taking the opportunity to move to Russia set me on a different trajectory,” Nancy reflects.

“My team came from all over the world. We all had different ideas about brewing, but by talking through problems, we found the right solution for the brewery we were working with.”

The experience shaped a lesson she often shared with students: “I learned that we are more the same than we are different, but that the differences are important. The way we did things in Canada was just one way, not the right way.” She adds, “And, this made students laugh whenever I said it, it depends.”

What has mattered most to you beyond the beer itself?

“No doubt: the people. I’ve been involved in training young brewers all over the world and have seen our graduates become great brewers and leaders,” she says. At KPU, she taught leadership and management, lessons many students only fully appreciated years later.

“I also realized early on that my way of working with people was different from many of my male colleagues. I wanted to show that my way could be just as effective.”

The industry has changed significantly over the years. From your perspective, how has the experience for women in brewing evolved?

“This is a tough question,” Nancy says. “Recently, I asked a group of women in the industry if things were getting better, and sadly, the answer was ‘not really.’ People talk about diversity, but behaviours and opportunities haven’t changed as much as they should.”

Still, she remains hopeful. “The fact that people are talking about diversity is progress. Visibility matters; young women need to see people like them in the industry to believe that they belong. Maybe this is part of what I’ve done through teaching, to show that this is possible.”

What advice would you give to women entering brewing today?

“You don’t have to be one of the boys,” Nancy says. “Express yourself and then deliver solutions. Your style may be different; demonstrate how it can be successful.”

She also emphasizes community. “Help each other. Find your supporters, and thank them for what they do for you. I send my thanks out to people (Steve K, Ivan G, Dave P, Chris L, Gene Z.) who stood up for me and made sure that I was given opportunities and coached me to be a success.”

Read more about Nancy’s legacy as a BC Beer Awards Industry Legend Award winner, and the scholarship named in her honour.

International Women’s Day Brews & Events Across the BC Ale Trail

Breweries across the province are marking International Women’s Day with collaboration, creativity, and community impact.

Kootenay Rockies

• Fernie Brewing Co. will be tapping a Light Scottish Ale in celebration of the women shaping the brewery every day.

Lower Mainland & Fraser Valley

• Farm Country Brewing hosts a March 8 tap takeover featuring beers all brewed by the talented women and non-binary members of Langley’s craft beer community. Vote for your favourite to crown the Pink Boots Trophy winner.
Here is the list:

• Brookswood Brewing Co: DIPA / Aurora’s Cashmere
• Camp Beer Co: Fruited Lager / Unladylike
• Dead Frog Brewery: Shirley Temple Ale / Girley Shirley
• Farm Country Brewing  & Barley Merchant : Saison / Femininom Saison
• Five Roads Brewing: Ale / Black Cherry Chicory Root Ale 
• KPU Brew Lab: India Session Ale / Shared Path
• Locality Brewing: Berliner Weisse / Princess Peach
• Smugglers Trail Caskworks: Cask, fruited sour /Róisin
• Trading Post Brewing: Fruited saison/ Yuzu Saison  
• Fraser Valley Cider: Semi-Dry Cider /  Dark Cherry Chocolate 

• Five Roads Brewing will be offering brewery tours and free tastings from 4–6 pm on March 8.

• Field House Brewing will release a women-brewed Raspberry Lime Lager. On tap only on March 8th, $1 per beer sold will be donated to the Ann Davis Transition Society.

Northern BC

• Deadfall Brewing Company hosts its second annual International Women’s DJ Vinyl Night on March 7, with DJs spinning exclusively female artists starting at 7 pm.

Thompson Okanagan

• Cannery Brewing will be brewing a tropical hazy pale ale on March 6, with a release planned for April 10, at the Okanagan Fest of Ale. Partial funds from the sale of this beer will be donated to the Beer Babes Family.

• Jackknife Brewing becomes JillKnife for the week, with a special beer release on March 8.

• Railside Brewing celebrates International Women’s Day with Mango & Ginger brews, live music, family-friendly fun, and $4 from every pint donated to Mamas for Mamas.

Vancouver Island

• Driftwood Brewery marks its first Pink Boots brew, celebrating a brewing team that is now half women. Available in the taproom on Friday, March 6th, with $1 off pints of Pink Boots Brew. Meet the brew crew from 4 – 6 pm.

• Gladstone Brewing hosts a March 7 Pink Party with music, celebration, and community spirit.

Vancouver Coast & Mountains

• Coast Mountain Brewing releases Queen of Hops, a Hoppy Lager brewed annually to honour International Women’s Day.

• Steamworks Brewing partnered with Salal Sexual Violence Support Centre on a Wildberry Wheat Ale, supporting survivors through collaboration and awareness. This beer will be available on tap at all Steamworks locations.

Raising a Glass

From the classroom to the brewhouse, International Women’s Day on the BC Ale Trail is a reminder that beer is ultimately about people; the ones who teach, lead, collaborate, and create space for others to grow.

This March 8, raise a glass to the women shaping BC beer, today and into the future.

The post International Women’s Day on the BC Ale Trail: Voices, Leadership & the Women Shaping Beer appeared first on The BC Ale Trail.

As the world gears up to commemorate International Women’s Day this Friday, it’s a fitting moment to raise our glasses to the women who have been making significant strides in our industry and the beer community at large. From ancient civilizations where women were the primary brewers to the modern craft beer revolution, women have played pivotal roles in shaping the culture, innovation, and business of brewing.

This year, breweries are celebrating in different ways around the province. There are women-led tap takeovers, ladies’ brew days, and plenty of new brews to sample. So grab your mothers, sisters, friends, and fellow beer lovers and get ready to celebrate the amazing women in beer this weekend.

Vancouver Island

New Beer Release • Longwood Brewery, Nanaimo

Island Hens Dry Hopped Session Ale will be pouring this Saturday, March 9. Brewed at Longwood Brewery in collaboration with Angry Hen Brewing of Kaslo, BC. Shirley Warne of Angry Hen Brewing and Harley Smith of Longwood Brewery have been friends for over 30 years and their brewing history goes back to their Toronto days. Shirley joined in virtually, and they also had a special guest, Robin Richards, head brewer at Dog Mountain Brewing, join them for the brew. The Island Hens Dry Hopped Session Ale will be available in cans and on draught and launched as part of Victoria Beer Week’s 10th Birthday Bash.

3rd Annual Pink Boots Brew Day • Dog Mountain Brewing, Port Alberni

Head Brewer and co-owner Robin Richards has sent out an open invite for anyone who would like to learn what goes on behind the scenes at a brewery to join her on Saturday, March 9th for a Pink Boots Collaboration brew day.  They will be brewing a new IPA using ONLY the Pink Boots hop blend that they helped to curate earlier in the year. Each year, Yakima Chief Hops partners with the Pink Boots Society to create an exclusive Pink Boots hop blend which is used in collaboration brews around North America. This year’s blend features HBC 638, El Dorado®, Ahtanum®, and Idaho 7®, promising berry and citrus notes with peppery earthiness and floral undertones.

Vancouver, Coast & Mountains

Tap Takeover • Farm Country Brewing, Langley

This Friday, March 8, Farm Country Brewing is hosting their 4th annual International Women’s Day Tap Takeover. Each year, they challenge the women and non-binary folks at their fellow Langley breweries to create and brew their own beers. This year is the biggest event, with 9 featured brews plus a cider. Participating breweries and cidery are:

• Brookswood Brewing Co. – brew to be announced
• Camp Beer Co – Bahama Mamas Pineapple White IPA
  The ladies of Camp came together to help develop and brew something special. Inspired by the iconic cocktail, this brew blends pineapple juice with a touch of coriander and chamomile. The brew’s light body is then balanced with the unique blend of Pink Boots 2023 hops as well as Bruu1. Cans will be available at the brewery and select liquor stores as well.
• Dead Frog Brewery – Man! I Feel Like A Sour! – Raspberry Cheesequake Sour
  Saddle up for a sweet and sassy ride and experience the fusion of fresh raspberries, creamy vanilla, decadent cheesecake, and tangy tartness! For the month of March this brew will be on Dead Frog’s Firefighter Tap and every pint sold in the tasting room will benefit the Pink Boots Society in collaboration with the Township of Langley Firefighters Charities.
• Farm Country Brewing – Dua DIPA
  A whopping 7.5% ABV Double IPA. The ladies at Farm Country created this beer with notes of peaches and apricots — using the HBF 1019 aka “fuzzy peach” hop with accents of floral and citrus.
• Five Roads Brewing – Look What You Made Me Brew Lemon Meringue Sour IPA
  This Taylor Swift-inspired brew will also be available in cans and on draught.
• Fraser Valley Cider Company – Blueberry Tease Cider
  This cider is bursting with farm-fresh blueberry and a tea-se of earl grey. This classic cocktail-inspired cider is a perfect balance of bittersweet apple and bursting berry freshness.
• KPU Brew Lab – It’s a Peach Cream Ale
  KPU Brewing students, instructors, and industry friends came together to brew ‘It’s a Peach!’ Cream Ale, using Pink Boots hops. This brew will also be for sale in growler fills on March 8 at the KPU Brew Lab.
• Locality Brewing – Pint Boots Berry Ale
  The recipe for this sparkling Berry Ale was designed by brewer Emily, who works alongside head brewer Karen.
• Smugglers’ Trail Caskworks – Tomato Gose
• Trading Post Brewing – Yay, Space Hazy IPA
  A double dry hopped IPA, bursting with flavours of pineapple, guava, lime, and white peach. Also available at Trading Post on tap and in cans.

Proceeds from the event will go to support the Pink Boots Society, as well as the Ishtar Women’s Resource Society in Langley.

Brew Day • Mountainview Brewing, Hope

Join co-owner Danielle and Head Brewer Sho on Friday, March 8 to help them brew up something special: Let Your Man Go, a tart mango IPA. The open house brew runs from 12 pm – 2 pm. All are welcome, so bring your friends, family, and fellow beer enthusiasts for an unforgettable celebration of women, beer, and community.

New Beer Release • Sidekick Brewing, Chilliwack

Join the release party on Friday, March 8 for The Brewmasters New World Saison. This brew is a collaboration from the creative forces of women at Sidekick and Molson Coors Fraser Valley, brewed with women from Farmhouse Brewing, Old Yale Brewing, and Flashback Brewing. 

$1 from each glass and 4-pack sold of this beer will support the Pink Boots Society of Canada. Additionally, another $1 from each glass and 4-pack sold of this beer on Friday will support Wilmas Transition Society’s important work in Chilliwack.

New Beer Release • Steamworks Brew Pub, Vancouver

Launching Friday, March 8 is the Lavender Earl Grey Saison. Partial proceeds are going to benefit the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre. This beer will only be available on tap at the Water Street Brew Pub location.

New Beer Release • R&B Brewing, Vancouver

Wheat, Pray, Love, a dry-hopped wheat ale, will be released on March 14 at the brewery. Brewed by Justine Ellis, this classic wheat ale uses this year’s Pink Boots hop blend and will be available in cans and on tap.

Thompson Okanagan

New Beer Release • Lakesider Brewing, West Kelowna

The Pineapple IPA will be launching on Friday, March 8 in cans and on tap. Dry hopped, with additions of pineapple juice, and brewed using Kveik yeast, it’s sure to be a juicy delight.

Brew Day • Unleashed Brewing, Kelowna

On March 8, the women of Unleashed will be creating something new in collaboration with Gambrinus Malting, using their new IPA malt and this year’s Pink Boots hop blend.

New Beer Release • Jackknife Brewing, Kelowna

Jackknife becomes “Jillknife” Brewing for the annual release of Resting Witch Face is coming this Friday, March 8. Resting Witch Face is a double-dry hopped Nordic white IPA, and raises funds for MMIW (Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women) initiatives. Specifically, it helps to fund the efforts of Mukwa Bear as he helps families search for their missing loved ones.

Double Beer Release • Rustic Reel Brewing Co., Kelowna

Rustic Reel is releasing two special small-batch brews this Friday, March 8: a Sparkling Brut IPA and a  Cucumber Lemon Ale. Women can enjoy $6 pints in the tasting room all day long, and $3 pretzels. Partial proceeds from these brews will be donated to the Kelowna Women’s Shelter.

Brew Day • Cannery Brewing, Penticton

This Friday, the ladies at Cannery are coming together to brew a West Coast pilsner using this year’s Pink Boots hop blend. This brew will be launching at Okanagan Fest of Ale on April 12, and will also be available in cans and on draft at the brewery.

The post International Women’s Day 2024 appeared first on The BC Ale Trail.

Julia Hanlon is tired of being asked what it’s like to be a woman in the beer industry. 

She started her career with Molson in 2005, before moving into the role of Head Brewer at Steamworks in 2015, a role which has since evolved to include the title of Operations Manager as the brewery has grown. Over 18 years of working in back-of-house roles in the industry, it’s a subject she’s had to discuss many, many times before.

“These are the questions that, unfortunately, women in beer do have to answer,” she explains. “We’re like, ‘Well we’re just trying to do our jobs… just like that guy over there that is your more prototypical brewer.’”

“It’s kind of annoying to be constantly asked, ‘What’s it like to be a woman in beer?’” 

“Well, um, I guess I’ll just leave then,” I joke. I’m sitting across from her in her office at Steamworks’ Burnaby location, and that, unfortunately, is exactly what I’ve come to ask her. 

In the spring of 2021, Brienne Allan, then the Head Brewer and Production Manager at Notch Brewing in Salem, Massachusetts, posted a story on her personal Instagram account, @RatMagnet, about a sexist experience she had at work. She then posed the question to other women working in the industry: “What sexist comments have you experienced?”

Her post struck a chord in an industry whose leadership (and often, customer base) is overwhelmingly made up of white, cis-gendered men. Within weeks, it received thousands of responses, which she then re-posted to the public, chronicling allegations of harassment, racism, and sexism at every level of the industry. The viral nature of the story prompted a reckoning within the beer world and led to the resignations of several prominent industry figures.

Two years after Allan lifted the veil on issues within the industry — and in the wake of #MeToo, the George Floyd protests, and the accelerated push for safer, more equitable workplaces brought on by the pandemic — I wanted to talk to a few people working in BC beer to see what’s changed, and what hasn’t. 

So I sat down with Julia Hanlon, as well as Diana McKenzie, the co-founder of Callister Brewing in East Vancouver, and Chloe Smith, co-owner and General Manager of Townsite Brewing in Powell River. 

While their experiences and roles differ, there was one sentiment they all shared: there is still work to be done.

“If you pay attention to social media, in terms of the conversation, I’d say that has shifted,” McKenzie says. “The imagery has changed: to be a bit more inclusive, to be a bit more diverse in a way that’s not the same old white dude. But it’s hard to say what’s really going on behind the scenes… Unfortunately, I think some of the attitudes in some of the breweries have not changed fast enough.”

But as more women enter leadership roles, the conversation has evolved beyond social media into tangible initiatives at various levels of the industry.

Every year around International Women’s Day, many breweries host women’s collaboration brew days, and during last year’s events, McKenzie realized that many of the people working on the same goals in the city weren’t well connected. “It didn’t feel cohesive,” she says. “But it should be, we should all know what each other are doing and stay in touch.”

So McKenzie started a group called The Modern Beer Club in Vancouver. The club meets once a month, usually at a brewery where one of the members is working. There’s no agenda, simply space and time to connect. While the club was inspired by women’s brew day, McKenzie was intentional about not making its branding overtly feminine.

“The Modern Beer Club is an attempt to expand our community to be more inclusive of LGBTQ+ folks as well,” McKenzie explains. “I’m starting to feel more and more that ‘women’s’ brew days are in their own way exclusionary in their attempt to be more inclusive. That said, the club is also, by definition, exclusionary of cis-het-white men, but it’s a first step toward creating more safe spaces, as I think the brew days were as well.”

While women’s brew days and the increasing presence of women in back-of-house roles are certainly deserving of celebration, it’s clear that diversity and inclusion in the beer industry must not begin and end with simply hiring more women. 

“Female — we’re the easy ones, we’re still half the population,” Hanlon says. “I think more about BIPOC groups, LGBTQ+ groups: are the breweries ready for that? And I think the answer for a lot of breweries is that they’re not.”

Hanlon and Smith both sit on the board of the BC Craft Brewers Guild, and over the past two years, the Guild has been developing a code of conduct to help BC breweries build out more robust HR policies. Due to the small scale of many breweries, in-house HR was previously infeasible. 

“Technically if you’re starting a brewery or running a business you have to have these things in place under WorkSafe,” Hanlon says. “But it’s more of a box-ticking exercise, and I think the engagement beyond just ticking that box has really come up in the past few years… In the course of doing this, I’ve seen a lot of engagement from breweries that want this, and I don’t know if that appetite was there eight years ago, five years ago, three years ago.”

Smith also sits on the board of the Canadian Craft Brewers Association (CCBA). On their end, the Inclusion and anti-Discrimination Committee has created a four-month HR training program for craft breweries. They’re also building out an online community where they are encouraging people within the industry to come forward to reflect on their personal growth in the realm of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), and how that impacts their work.

“We’ve developed some workshops around developing your own personal value statement,” Smith explains. “Because the stance that we’re taking right now is that what happens at the personal level and your own sphere of influence level, and at the industry level, all has to happen simultaneously… Your company needs a mission-vision-value statement, but so do you.”

These issues that the beer world is grappling with are not unique to this industry. Companies in nearly every sector are struggling to hastily overhaul their businesses in the face of rapidly evolving social demands. Many previously acceptable workplace behaviours and norms are being scrutinized in a new light, and found to be inappropriate at best, or outright harmful at worst. 

Seeking to modernize their operations, many businesses immediately look to hiring more diverse staff as their DEI initiative. But to Smith, diverse hiring in the absence of a true, earnest effort towards restructuring not only your business, but the way you show up authentically and honestly with your colleagues, will simply end up as a box-ticking exercise again.

“I don’t think it’s like ‘hire a bunch of BIPOC’ or ‘make sure you have a queer staff member.’ That’s not how it’s done,” she says. “Because you’re going to hire those people but you’re not going to know how to include them. You’re going to have diversity but not inclusion.”

While the beer industry is not alone in facing these issues, the intimate nature of craft beer, specifically, provides an interesting opportunity and challenge. Unlike multinational beer companies, or any larger business whose customer base is geographically spread out, craft breweries rely heavily on the support of their immediate local community. 

This puts consumers in the position — should they choose it — of becoming advocates for the kinds of business practices they’d like to see.

If I decided to boycott a massive company that I learned had some unsavoury business practices, even if I told everyone I know, it wouldn’t make a dent in their success. But if I found out that a local microbrewery owner had a string of credible assault or harassment allegations from staff members, and I decided to boycott that company and tell everyone I know, and they did the same, even within a small sphere of influence, that could have real and catastrophic consequences for that business. 

However, the potential for that kind of advocacy to be impactful depends on a few things. Namely: the bravery of the individuals making the allegations who might (justifiably) prefer to just find a different job rather than invite conflict into their lives by coming forward. And a consumer base who views it as their responsibility to stand up for equity, rather than shrugging it off or looking the other way because the beer is good.  

One thing is certain: In an industry where men hold nearly twice as many managerial roles as women (according to these survey results published by the CCBA) and make up the majority of the consumer base, the push for tangible, substantial DEI efforts cannot fall squarely on the shoulders of women. 

As far as the future of the industry is concerned, there is a lot to be optimistic about, and a lot of good people driving the conversation forward. 

“There’s this rebellious spirit to our industry that I just love,” says Smith. “When I walk into a room full of my colleagues, there’s just this electricity in the room, that is not related to the alcohol, that has nothing to do with the physical beer itself.”

“I like to think really big; I don’t like to box myself in,” she continues. “I envision us as the leaders of psychologically safe workplaces, diversity AND inclusion.”

Julia Hanlon is more succinct: “I think the goal would be that we don’t have to talk about this anymore.”

Resources:

The Pink Boots Society is a national non-profit organization helping women and non-binary folks in the Fermented/Alcoholic Beverage Industry advance their careers through education.

Diversity in Brewing is a grassroots initiative dedicated to celebrating and supporting diversity in the craft beer industry: “Our objective is to promote and foster a diverse, respectful, safe, and welcoming brewing industry across Western Canada and beyond.” Read our blog here.

Hilary Angus is a writer and food justice worker. When she’s not tromping around in the woods with her dog, you can find her sitting at the bar in a Yeast Van brewery, or reviewing books and booze on her Instagram.

The post What Is It Like To Be a Woman in the Craft Beer Industry in 2023? appeared first on The BC Ale Trail.

Back in 2013, the thought of women gathering together all over British Columbia to brew a special batch of beer seemed like such a daunting task. After all, you could count on one hand the number of women brewing beer in BC! In that year, the now annual Pink Boots Collaboration Brew was launched in the U.S. with the idea of creating a Women’s Day Brew as a way to provide awareness of women in the brewing industry. It also became a fundraiser for the Pink Boots Society where scholarships were created to help educate more women to get into the industry.

British Columbia took part in 2015 when Claire Wilson, who at the time was the owner and head brewer of Dogwood Brewing in Vancouver, hosted the sole Collaboration Brew in the province. Since then it has become an annual event with more and more breweries hosting Women’s Day Brews and more and more women getting involved in the industry.

Due to ongoing Covid concerns this year, there was not a lot of full-scale collaboration between breweries and the community, but BC still has 20 Pink Boots Collaboration Brews being released during March and April along with at least 15 other  International Women’s Day releases in all areas of the province.

Women in Langley’s Brewing Community take the lead! 

This is Year Two for  Farm Country Brewing hosting an International Women’s Day event challenge where women at each of the Langley breweries were asked to collaborate on a small-batch brew for a tap takeover at Farm Country on March 8.  There are eight unique beers and all proceeds will be donated to the Ishtar Women’s  Resource Society in Langley. The doors open at 12:00 pm, and many of these beers will be exclusive to this event.

This year Locality Brewing collaborated with some of the women from the Barley Merchant Taproom and brewed up a “No Bull” 6.7% ABV Milkshake IPA, so expect to have the beer available on one of the taps there, and it will also be coming out in cans.

Once again, the team of KPU Brewing Diploma students under the guidance of instructors Nancy More and Martina Solana Bielen hosted their Pink Boots Collaboration Brew Day on Feb. 11, 2022. Also joining on brew day was KPU alumna Ashley Brooks, QC manager at Four Winds Brewing, and Kristina Mameli from The Growler BC. The KPU Brew team decided to create a Hibiscus Rose Brut Ale in honour of recently retired dean, Dr. Betty Worobec, who led the way in creating Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s (KPU) Brewing & Brewery Operations Diploma, the first and only program of its kind in BC. Aptly named Betty Boots, the beer is available in cans at KPU and on draught at the Farm Country event.

Here is a list of the breweries pouring at Farm Country Brewing on March 8:

• Camp Beer Co.
• Dead Frog Brewery
• Farm Country Brewing
• Five Roads Brewing
• KPU Brew Lab 
• Locality Brewing & Barley Merchant 
• Smugglers’ Trail Caskworks
• Trading Post Brewing 

Metro Vancouver & Coquitlam

Vancouver still hosts the most International Women’s Day Brews, but this year Patina Brewing in Coquitlam also got on board. Since more than 75% of their staff are women, it just made sense.

Patina Brewing, Coquitlam: Launching March 8th

This was the first year that the women at Patina Brewing got together for an International Women’s Day brew, and they enjoyed it so much they are planning on making it a yearly tradition. This year they went for a small 20L batch, so you will need to head over soon to catch this beer on tap at their location. The beer choice was a Smoothie sour with additions of peach and raspberry.

33 Acres Brewing / 33 Brewing Experiment: Launched March 4th

Under the lead of Molly Graham at 33 Acres Brewing, the Fem-Identifying production members and a few friends from the industry brewed a special Dry Hopped Kolsch named The Good Fight in celebration of International Womxn’s Day. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to The Shoe Project, a Canadian organization whose mission is to help refugee and immigrant women-identifying people who are new to Canada by providing a writing and performance program to help learn communication skills in English and to aid in their success in this country.

Luppolo Brewing, Vancouver: Launching March 8th

The women behind Luppolo Brewing, from the brewer to the owners, tasting room staff, and social media gathered together and created a very unique beer, or should I say a beer cocktail: a French 75 cocktail. Available in cans and on draught.

Black Kettle Brewing, North Vancouver: Launching March 8th

This is Year Two for Head Brewer  Sarah Polkinghorne of Black Kettle Brewing leading a collaboration brew day. She chose to work with the Pink Boots Hop Blend to brew up a Hazy IPA. It will be launching on March 8th along with the beginning of Black Kettle’s Live Music program. Only available on draught at the brewery.

Coast Mountain Brewing, Whistler: Launching March 8th

This will be Year Five for Tanya Crocker and the women at Coast Mountain Brewing. Like last year, this year’s Hazy Pale Ale brew used the Pink Boots Hop Blend and a crazy addition of peach sours. Last year’s batch was so popular that this year they brewed a double batch. It will be available in cans and draught.

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The Okanagan: Kelowna and Penticton 

Lakesider Brewing/ Unleashed Brewing, Kelowna: Launching March 8th

Co-owner Gale Armour of Lakesider Brewing partook in her first IWD collaboration brew at Penticton’s Slackwater Brewing prior to her brewery being open in 2019. She has been wanting to host one ever since and this was the year. It was also a great opportunity for their brewing assistant, Chila Ashida, to lead her first brew day! Also invited were a few women from Unleashed Brewing, also in Kelowna. They wanted to brew something floral and playful in honor of International Women’s Day so they worked with the Pink Boot’s hop blend’s floral characteristics. The result is a blueberry hibiscus saison. Available in cans and on draught.

Jillknife Brewing, Kelowna: Launching March 8th

It’s time for another JILLKNIFE takeover at Jackknife Brewing! Head over for the release of “Resting Witch Face” from 5 pm – 8 pm. This year’s version is a blueberry, black currant farmhouse ale. Proceeds from this beer will go towards ongoing work for raising awareness and funds for local MMIW initiatives.

Rustic Reel Brewing, Kelowna: A Reel Evening Retreat, March 8th

Owner Susi Foerg of Rustic Reel Brewing has put together an all-women evening event with speakers, activities, laughter, specialty cocktails, and of course great beer. There are also a variety of workshops hosted by local Kelowna women that one can attend as part of the evening. Workshops include cocktail making, charcuterie board how-to, mental + emotional + fitness wellness, as well as financial and organizational tips for entrepreneurs. Tickets are available through Rustic Reel.  

Slackwater Brewing, Penticton: Launching March 8th

Slackwater Brewing is back for its third annual installment in support of the Pink Boots Society with a four-pack mixer featuring an Apricot Hazy Pale Ale (5% ABV) and Imperial Sour with Pomegranate and Plum (7% ABV), both dry-hopped with this year’s Yakima Chief Hops Pink Boots hop blend. The beers in this exclusive mix pack were designed by the women in the brewery’s workforce.⁠

Neighbourhood Brewing, Penticton: Launching March 8th

The owners and brewers of Neighbourhood Brewing have been wanting to be a part of an International Women’s Day Collaboration for quite some time. The head brewer, originally from Yellow Dog Brewing in Port Moody, and the owners, just could never squeeze the time or space for one, but with the opening of Neighbourhood, they now can. Several meetings were had with the women collective to decide on what beer they wanted to see (and drink) in the taproom at Neighbourhood that would also complement the hops, and the decision was a Tart IPA with lemon peel. It will be available in cans and on draught.

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And over on the Island…

Three breweries to keep track of (and maybe more) over on Vancouver Island will be brewing up some unique beers during the weeks around International Women’s Day. This is the first year hosting a Women’s Day brew for all of them.

Head Brewer Robin Miles at Dog Mountain Brewing and her team will be getting together on March 12th to brew “Stand and Be True”, a hazy Westcoast IPA that will be available in cans and on draught. Expect to see this beer every year now with a change of hops.

Quality Control/Lab Technician Jaime Korner at Phillips Brewing is new to the brewing industry and thought a brew day would be a great opportunity to showcase women at Phillips. Their beer of choice is a Brut IPA with butterfly pea flower and pomegranate. It is bound to be tasty and colourful.

When the women at Longwood Brewery realized that over 50% of their staff are women. Everything is still in the planning stage but expect to see something come out in the weeks ahead.

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And the brews continue…

• Angry Hen Brewing (Kaslo) & Tailout Brewing (Castlegar) collaboration: brewing on March 8th.
• Bridge Brewing, North Vancouver: brewing March 8th.
• Callister Brewing, Vancouver: launching March 8th.
• Crossroads Brewing & Distillery, Prince George: brewing on March 8th with a release in early April.
• Faculty Brewing, Vancouver: brewing March 8th.
• Junction Orchard & Cidery, Victoria: launching March 8th. This is a first for BC! David Mitchell, brewer and cidermaker, has added the Pink Boots hop blend to one of his ciders. Very limited quantities and only available on draught at the cidery.
• Kelowna Brewing Co & Barn Owl Brewing, Kelowna: brewing March 8th with a release date in early April
• Kettle River Brewing, Kelowna: brewing on March 8th with a release in early April – a dry-hopped sour (similar in style to a Berliner Weiss) served with fruit-forward syrups to add to the beer for a variety of flavour profiles. All syrups are either made in-house or made by local women entrepreneurs in the Kelowna area.
• Nelson Brewing Company, Nelson: launching on March 8th – a strawberry sour.
• Over Time Beer Works, Kimberley: launching March 8th -a hazy orange IPA using the Pink Boots hop blend. Available in their taproom.
• Settlement Brewing, Vancouver: launching March 8th.
• The Beer Farmers, Pemberton: brewing March 8th.
• The Parkside Brewery, Port Moody: Brewing March 8th – Cherry-lime elderberry ale. It will be available in cans and draught later in the month.
• Tin Whistle Brewing, Penticton: brewed on March 3rd with a launch date later in March.

That is quite the list — there are so many opportunities to explore your local communities and celebrate women in craft beer! 

The post International Women’s Day: March 8th, 2022 appeared first on The BC Ale Trail.

The annual Pink Boots Collaboration Brew on March 8 started off in 2013 as a way to provide awareness of women in the brewing industry and to raise money for the Pink Boots Society. Since then, it has grown into a worldwide annual event with Canada being a strong participant and BC breweries leading the way. 

During the event, women who work in the brewing industry meet up to collectively brew a special beer. Sometimes this is done ahead of time so that the beer is ready to serve on March 8, while, other times, the brew happens on International Women’s Day with the beer being released a few weeks later.

In 2017, a partnership with Yakima Chief Hops was launched to produce an exclusive Pink Boots Hop Blend. Women brewers all around the world can effectively collaborate by brewing with the same unique blend of hops. Partial proceeds from every bag sold goes back to the Pink Boots Society to put towards their scholarship and education programs. This year, a national Pink Boots Canada chapter has been established, which means that some of those funds collected will now be allocated to the new chapter so the money can help be used to help Canadian women further their careers in the industry.

Here in British Columbia, there are at least 22 brews scattered around the province, making this a great opportunity to support your local community.

Langley: Women in Craft Beer

Langley is the place to be for the primo event this year! The team at Farm Country Brewing put out a challenge for the female employees at each of the Langley breweries to collaborate on a small-batch brew with all of the beers to be served at Farm Country on March 8. There are seven different original beers and all proceeds will be donated to the Ishtar Women’s  Resource Society in Langley. The doors open at 1:00 pm, and all seven beers will be on tap only at Farm Country Brewing. 

Here is a list of the beers:

• Farm Country Brewing – American Wheat Ale w/ black currant & cardamom (5% ABV | 20 IBU)
• Five Roads Brewing – Peach Vanilla Hazy Pale (5% ABV |38 IBU)
• Trading Post Brewing & Locality Brewing – Table Saison (2.75% ABV | 18 IBU). A collab using pale and rye malts from the Locality farm, along with the 2019 version of the Pink Boots Hop Blend.  
• Camp Beer Co. – Creamsicle Beer. (5.3% ABV | 11.5 IBU). Rebecca Deil who is the assistant brewer and also a student at KPU took the lead on this brew.
• Dead Frog Brewery – Irish Kiss Dry Stout (6% ABV |30 IBU)
• Smugglers Trail Caskworks – Sahti-style Kveik Ale with juniper berries (8% ABV | 30 IBU). Sahti is the original farmhouse beer, brewed by women for centuries, using Juniper berries and twigs to create flavour and act as a preservative in the days before hops.
• KPU Brew Lab – Roze Klompen (5.6% ABV | 25 IBU). A saison using triticale (a hybrid of wheat and rye), hopped and dry-hopped with this years’ Pink Boots hop blend. The name is Flemish for pink clogs, so it is a nod to the Pink Boots Society and to the farmers in Belgium and their traditional footwear. This was brewed under the direction of instructor Martina Solano Bielen and student Rebecca Deil, along with a handful of students and of course, legend Nancy More. You will be able to go to the KPU Brew labs for growler fills for this one, too.

Kelowna: Women in Craft Beer

Copper Brewing just released a Butterfly Pea Blossom Pale Ale (4.7% ABV), brewed under the direction of taproom manager Jess Kozak, and it’s violet in colour! $1 dollar from each 4-pack and sleeve sold will be donated to Hope Okanagan.

Kelowna Beer Institute created a crushable Passion Fruit IPA (5.5% ABV |28 IBU) with an optional citrus slush topper using Amarillo, Idaho 7, Mosaic, and Simcoe hops for a tropical and citrus-forward Spring patio beer. This is a yearly fundraiser with proceeds going to Hope Okanagan. This one will be on tap as well as available for take-home fills. 

Jackknife Brewing brewed Resting Witch Face ISA (4% ABV | 35 IBU) a Nordic gin-style ale with spruce tips, juniper berries, and sumac, conditioned on key limes and blood oranges. Partial proceeds will be going to an organization dedicated to the search and support of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and their families. Available on tap or take-home crowler fills.

Penticton: Women in Craft Beer

Slackwater Brewing brewed Making Waves Pineapple Rye Saison (5% ABV | 27 IBU),  using pineapple juice and dry-hopped with this years’ Pink Boots hop blend. The brew was led by recently hired assistant brewer Carri Kemp and a few ladies from behind the scenes.

Pemberton: Women in Craft Beer

 The Beer Farmers, owned and operated by the Miller family, decided to use what they grow plenty of: potatoes! Head Brewer Brenda Miller and Tara Aytri made Spud Valley, a double dry-hopped Hazy IPA with potato (4.8% ABV), using this years’ Pink Boots hop blend. 

Hope: Women in Craft Beer

At Mountainview Brewing Co, which just opened its doors in late November, guest brewer Novia Chen teamed up women from two new breweries in Chilliwack, Bricklayer Brewing, and Farmhouse Brewing Co. Together they brewed up Staycation (6.5% ABV |20 IBU), a Hazy IPA with Guava & Coconut. This one will be available in draught at all three breweries. 

New Westminster: Women in Craft Beer

Steel & Oak Brewing brewed Teulu Hazy IPA (6.5% ABV) with passionfruit, orange, and guava, using this year’s Pink Boots Hop Blend. Teulu is the Welsh word for family, and proceeds go to the Spirit of the Children Society, an Indigenous non-profit society that works to empower and strengthen Indigenous families in New Westminster, Burnaby, and the Tri-Cities. This one will be available on tap, from their online store, and at some private liquor stores across BC over the next few weeks.

Vancouver: Women in Craft Beer

Strange Fellows Brewing is using International Women’s day as an opportunity to launch Sororatis Hazy Pale Ale (5% ABV |35 IBU), brewed by Assistant Brewer Carly Hase using this years’ Pink Boots hop blend. Sororatis means sisterhood, and this is the second beer in their Helping Hands Series with proceeds to be donated to the WISH Drop-in Centre Society. It will be available on draught and in 4-packs through the taproom and various private liquor stores in the lower mainland.

Who is brewing on International Women’s Day?

Many breweries are masking up and gathering in small groups on the actual date with these beers being released at the tail end of March or early April.

Diana McKenzie, co-owner of Vancouver’s Callister Brewing, and her team of one will be brewing Sweet Georgia Brown Stout (6% ABV). It will be a small batch so check out Callister’s social media for the launch date and growler fills. 

Leading the brew at House Of Funk Brewing in North Vancouver will be Ebony Jansen and Casey Foster. They will be using this year’s Pink Boots hop blend, but stay tuned for what they will be brewing! 

You can always count on Coast Mountain Brewing in Whistler to be a part of this brew — usually bringing together a large gathering of women from the sea-to-sky region. This year it will just be Tanya Crocker and lead brewer Marketa. Not sure what they will be brewing, but chances are it will be an easy-drinking yet hop-forward ale. The beer will be on tap and available in cans, but you will probably need to pick it up at the brewery. 

Up north at Barkerville Brewing, the once all-woman brewery (yes, they have now hired a guy), will be brewing a Tropical Kettle Sour (3.7% ABV |8 IBU), mixing up the tropical aromas of this years’ Pink Boots hop blend with the tartness of the hibiscus, which also creates a pink hue in the beer. Head brewer Erin Dale likes using hibiscus — the first Pink Boots beer they were a part of also used it. The beer should be available by the end of the month and will be on tap at the brewery and also packaged for off-sales. 

This marks Year Three that Cannery Brewing is brewing a beer called Ceres (the Roman goddess of fertility and agriculture), and it will be the third year using the Pink Boots hop blend. The 2021 edition is a Belgian-style White IPA (5.5% ABV | 55 IBU) with the addition of preserved lemons, orange peel, and coriander. It will be available in 4-packs in their taproom and private liquor stores in BC, and also on draught. The release date is scheduled for March 30th. 

And over on the Island… 

Lieve Peeters, the woman behind Spinnakers Brewpub’s barrel program, will be hosting a brew sometime this week. The launch will be at the end of the month or early April.

 Over in Comox at New Tradition Brewing, head brewer Patti Savard and the lounge staff will be brewing up a Hefeweizen (5% ABV), dressed in tutus! The beer will be named “It’s All in the Hips,” with partial proceeds going to the Comox Valley Transition Society. Their launch is scheduled for April 4th and will be available in the taproom only. 

What a list! There are so many opportunities to explore your local communities and celebrate women in craft beer! 

The post International Women’s Day 2021 and Women in Craft Beer on the BC Ale Trail appeared first on The BC Ale Trail.

Often organized by chapters of the Pink Boots Society®, an organization created to “assist, inspire, and encourage women beer industry professionals to advance their careers through education,” these brew days offer a great opportunity to learn more about the craft brewing industry.

In BC, Pink Boots has an established chapter in Vancouver and many of the lower mainland’s female brewers get together around this time of year for a brew day, held this year at Callister Brewing. In fact, Callister is hosting a women’s collaboration brew every month this year as part of their Callister Women’s Collab Series so keep an eye out for more of those beers coming this year!

Vancouver’s Container Brewing is releasing their special IWD brew on March 8th with all of the proceeds from the beer being donated to Atira, an east Vancouver women’s charity. New Westminster’s Steel & Oak created a special beer in celebration of IWD as well. The Égalité Oat Ale features pomegranate, key lime, and red currant and will be released during their fundraiser on March 8th (from 5pm to 11pm) held at The Terminal Pub in New Wesminster.

Another Pink Boots collaboration brew is being organized at Slackwater Brewing in Penticton on March 8th too. And the women of Penticton’s Cannery Brewing also got together for a brew day and are launching their limited release beer, named Ceres after the Roman goddess, on IWD, with a portion of proceeds going to Pink Boots as well.

In honour of the female pioneers of beer and their long history with brewing, these events help make the presence of women in the industry visible and encourage more of them to get involved at whatever level they’re interested in. 

Other breweries around the province participate in this yearly tradition as well, putting their own unique flavour on it. This year, Kelowna’s Rustic Reel Brewing is hosting a full-day IWD program called A Reel Day Retreat to mark the occasion.  And another notable example of a collaboration brew day is found on the Northern BC Ale Trail. BC’s only all-female operated brewery, Barkerville Brewing Co. in downtown Quesnel, recently hosted an event with an especially appropriate purpose in mind.

Barkerville Brewing Co.’s #IWD2020 Collaboration Brew

Barkerville Brewing Co. hosted their third annual collaboration brew in the brewhouse on February 21st. Participants included colleagues from neighbouring communities like CrossRoads Brewing & Distillery in Prince George, Bulkley Valley Brewery and Smithers Brewing Company in Smithers, Wheelhouse Brewing Company in Prince Rupert, and Gambrinus Malting in Vernon.

Head brewer, Erin, has been working on the recipe for this gruit-style beer for a few years now, trying to perfect it for a noble cause – to ease the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS). Mixing aspects of herbalism into the brewing process, the recipe uses rosehip, chamomile, yarrow, and juniper branches.

These ingredients were selected for their medicinal properties. Together they help reduce common ailments like inflammation, cramping, and bloating. They also work to improve circulation, regulate hormones, and relieve stress and anxiety. Previous test batches have received wild praise from men and women alike. The brew features tasting notes of “an aromatic, floral nose followed by a light savoury earthiness with zesty lemon citrus and a dry finish.”

“I am really pleased with the turn out this year! So many of our fellow Northern Breweries participated in our event in support of women’s health. It’s so nice to see how this event has become more inclusive each year, in our case that means it’s not just women in the brewhouse!

Even though this was technically not a Pink Boots Collaboration Brew, hosting an open house in our community really supports education and peer to peer learning which is what Pink Boots is all about.” -Erin Dale, Head Brewer at Barkerville Brewing Co.

Previous Collaboration Brews at Barkerville Brewing Co.

Since hosting their first IWD brew day in 2018, the team behind the brewery has seen interest in craft beer slowly grow in their own community. Each year, more men and women visit their tasting room and get a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the industry through gateway events like these.

Always cleverly on theme, the first collaboration brew day produced the Hurdy Gurdy Hibiscus Pale Ale, paying homage to Barkerville’s hurdy gurdy dancers of the 1800s.

Year two’s brew day produced a Gold Digger Dry Hopped Lager, a mischievous play on words that featured female miners on the label.

The third edition of the event combines the purpose behind the brew’s recipe with a deeper dig into local history, celebrating the badassery of a woman named Florence Wilson.

Honouring Aunt Florence

Chasing the Cariboo gold rush to Barkerville in 1864, Florence Wilson quickly got herself a mining license and opened a saloon. Driven by a strong entrepreneurial spirit, she went on to establish a theatre, book club (which eventually turned into BC’s first library), and a second saloon named The Phoenix (rising from the literal ashes of the first after it burned down). Florence was a force to be reckoned with and a true female trailblazer in the region. 

The Gruit beer, named Aunt Florence in her honour, will be available in 650mL bottles at local markets in Prince George, Quesnel, and Williams Lake in time for IWD 2020. Part of the proceeds from sales of the beer will be donated to Ovarian Cancer Research.

Previous collaboration brew days at Barkerville Brewing have donated part of the proceeds to the Pink Boots Society®. The team also raises money every year during Movember in support of men’s health — fitting, given the brewery’s logo that features an old-school moustache above a golden grin.

Cheers to the women behind this BC craft brewery, the trailblazers, and the adventurous beer explorers celebrating the achievements of women on IWD (and every other day too)!

The post International Women’s Day 2020 Collaboration Brews Around BC appeared first on The BC Ale Trail.