{"id":40191,"date":"2023-03-08T03:00:49","date_gmt":"2023-03-08T11:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bcaletrail.ca\/?p=40191"},"modified":"2023-03-08T12:39:27","modified_gmt":"2023-03-08T20:39:27","slug":"what-is-it-like-to-be-a-woman-in-the-craft-beer-industry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bcaletrail.ca\/what-is-it-like-to-be-a-woman-in-the-craft-beer-industry\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is It Like To Be a Woman in the Craft Beer Industry in 2023?"},"content":{"rendered":"

On International Women\u2019s Day, we talk to three women reshaping the BC Beer industry.<\/p>\n

Julia Hanlon is tired of being asked what it\u2019s like to be a woman in the beer industry.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

She started her career with Molson in 2005, before moving into the role of Head Brewer at Steamworks<\/a> 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\u2019s a subject she\u2019s had to discuss many, many times before.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Julia
Julia Hanlon at Steamworks Brewing in Burnaby, BC (photo: Hilary Angus)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThese are the questions that, unfortunately, women in beer do have to answer,\u201d she explains. \u201cWe\u2019re like, \u2018Well we\u2019re just trying to do our jobs\u2026 just like that guy over there that is your more prototypical brewer.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s kind of annoying to be constantly asked, \u2018What\u2019s it like to be a woman in beer?\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cWell, um, I guess I\u2019ll just leave then,\u201d I joke. I\u2019m sitting across from her in her office at Steamworks\u2019 Burnaby location, and that, unfortunately, is exactly what I\u2019ve come to ask her.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In the spring of 2021, Brienne Allan, then the <\/span>Head Brewer and Production Manager at Notch Brewing in Salem, Massachusetts, posted a story on her personal Instagram account, @RatMagnet<\/a>, about a sexist <\/span>experience she had at work. She then posed the question to other women working in the industry: \u201cWhat sexist comments have you experienced?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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.<\/span><\/p>\n

Two years after Allan lifted the veil on issues within the industry \u2014 and in the wake of #MeToo, the George Floyd protests, and the accelerated push for safer, more equitable workplaces brought on by the pandemic \u2014 I wanted to talk to a few people working in BC beer to see what\u2019s changed, and what hasn\u2019t.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So I sat down with Julia Hanlon, as well as Diana McKenzie, the co-founder of Callister Brewing<\/a> in East Vancouver, and Chloe Smith<\/a>, co-owner and General Manager of Townsite Brewing<\/a> in Powell River.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While their experiences and roles differ, there was one sentiment they all shared: there is still work to be done.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Diana
Diana McKenzie at Callister Brewing in Vancouver, BC (photo: Hilary Angus)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cIf you pay attention to social media, in terms of the conversation, I\u2019d say that has shifted,\u201d McKenzie says. \u201cThe imagery has changed: to be a bit more inclusive, to be a bit more diverse in a way that\u2019s not the same old white dude. But it\u2019s hard to say what\u2019s really going on behind the scenes\u2026 Unfortunately, I think some of the attitudes in some of the breweries have not changed fast enough.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

But as more women enter leadership roles, the conversation has evolved beyond social media into tangible initiatives at various levels of the industry.<\/span><\/p>\n

Every year around International Women\u2019s Day<\/a>, many breweries host women\u2019s collaboration brew days, and during last year\u2019s events, McKenzie realized that many of the people working on the same goals in the city weren\u2019t well connected. \u201cIt didn\u2019t feel cohesive,\u201d she says. \u201cBut it should be, we should all know what each other are doing and stay in touch.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

So McKenzie started a group called The Modern Beer Club in Vancouver. <\/span>The club meets once a month, usually at a brewery where one of the members is working. There\u2019s no agenda, simply space and time to connect. While the club was inspired by women\u2019s brew day, McKenzie was intentional about not making its branding overtly feminine.<\/p>\n