It is no secret that my wife Ashley V. Routson, aka The Beer Wench, is some kind of craft beer and Twitter anomaly. With far more Twitter followers than most breweries (17,500+ and counting), Ashley has been working with social media now for about a half decade and is already considered to be at the top of the game in her field.

In addition to working as the point person in her role as “director of awesomeness” at Bison Organic Brewing in Berkeley, CA, Ashley asserts herself as an educator, role model, and ally for men and women with an interest in brewing. Her work is evident not just locally in the Bay Area, but across the nation thanks to the tools at her disposal.

Building alliances with those who make, sell, promote and otherwise disseminate the good word of good beer, Ashley also finds time to run multiple websites. Perhaps her most well known is Drink With The Wench which she started three years ago. Recently Ashley has given rise to a new trend in the artisan beverage world, beer cocktails (learn more at BeerMixology.com). As a true evangelist within her trade, Ashley does much of her work pro bono publico with hopes of reaching more and more potential craft beer drinkers. (Read my interview with Ashley, The Beer Wench here)

On Thursday October 4, 2012 from 5-8p.m.PST, Ashley will team up with Whole Foods Market for another installation of her craft beer Twitter Tastings. In this episode, two themes are melded into one – Women of Craft Beer and seasonally appropriate Oktoberfest beers. Join Ashley and four women from across the country who work in leading the way in not just craft beer but social media to explore some of the best German-inspired Märzens commercially made stateside. These include women from Great Lakes Brewing (Cleveland), Flying Dog Brewing (Maryland), Left Hand Brewing (Colorado), and Victory Brewing (Pennsylvania). This Tweet-up will open a dialogue for folks to share their thoughts on this lager beer style while being able to learn about its rich history, optimal food pairings, and much more.

For the full details on how to participate in this event (including some important hashtags and handles), please read the detailed presser below: Read More…

Posted under beer and food, Beer personalities

Sara Hancock

By Sara Hancock

The other day I was listening to Under the Influence on CBC Radio and the topic was sex and advertising. The host, Terry O’Reilly, made reference to Old Milwaukee’s decision to revive the brand by introducing the Swedish Bikini Team. While this ploy did in fact pique interest in the beer it also created problems behind the scenes where the female workers at the brewery felt a hypocritical stance was being taken; sexual harassment is not okay in the work place but bikini clad blondes were the perfect spokespeople for the brand.

Old Milwaukee insisted they were merely parodying the cliché T&A beer ads of the eighties BUT the parody still incorporated beautiful women with ample T&A front and centre (and rear I suppose). Somewhat skeptical of this rationale, the female workers sued the company. Read More…

Posted under Beer Education, British Columbia Beer

On Thursday, June 14, 2012 at 7 p.m. the Northwest Film Center presents, as part of it’s Northwest Tracking program, The Love of Beer directed by Portland filmmaker Alison Grayson. The film is part love letter, part petition, and part outreach to the Pacific NW beer community over imagery of the nuts and bolts of beer production on an industrial scale. The conversation is a diverse and elliptical discussion on the broad mentality of women’s status in the beer culture, from a refreshing breadth of advocates, aficionados, and alchemists.

This informative, insightful, and often comical portrayal of beer culture features a litany of empowered voices. Tonya Cornett, the dual ponytailed and award-winning Brewmaster from Bend, Oregon is a reckoning force in artisanal brew, driven by an impassioned compulsion for perfection. “I’m not a painter. I’m not a writer. But I can make you a beer.” Sarah Pederson, the owner of the Portland, Oregon staple Saraveza, never intended to open a “bar” but a place where she could teach people about good beer, and make good on her promise while serving her extended family of the loyal clientele while 6 months pregnant. And Teri Fahrendorf, founder of Pink Boot Society, an outreach group that empowers women through all things beer, whether crafting, serving, or judging, is a tireless educator eager to catalyze a woman’s self-discovery in the business. Read More…

Posted under Beer & Art, beer events, Beer personalities, beers on film

By Jen Sotolongo

Although the modern brewing industry is primarily dominated by males, women were the original brewers. Credit for the creation of beer is often given to Ninkasi, the Sumerian goddess of beer. Inscribed on a tablet dating back to 1800 BC, the “A Hymn to Ninkasi,” a poem that describes the first-known recipe for beer. From Europe to Egypt, women dominated the brewing world. Men were not permitted to brew and women ran the beer halls and taverns.

Considered a food and form of hydration, due to poor water quality, beer was an important source of sustenance for all members of the household and beermaking was among a wife’s household duties. Brewsters, a nearly extinct term for female brewers, experimented with different spices and ingredients and brewed for special occasions and community gatherings. Additionally, brewing was a form of economic empowerment for women, as it allowed them to earn a small income through the sales of surplus beer.

Once beer became a mass-produced commodity during the Industrial Revolution, men took the Read More…

Posted under beer history, Oregon beer

The Love of Beer is a documentary celebrating the women at the forefront of the Pacific Northwest beer community.  As of 2010, there are 1,759 breweries operating within the United States–1,716 of these are craft breweries. While the industry is expanding rapidly, growing 11% by volume in 2010, women within the industry are a vast minority.

Traditionally, brewing was a household chore that fell upon women.  It wasn’t until the Industrial Revolution that brewing shifted from a woman’s small enterprise to the domain of male factory workers. Beer and brewing gained a “men’s club” stereotype and, further enforced by marketing and popular media, the industry has remained a heavily male-dominated field.  However, in the Pacific NW, women are fighting their way towards being some of the most influential people in the brewing industry. From the farm to the consumer, Pacific NW women are setting new standards for brewing and changing the way the nation looks at women and beer.

With a heavy supporting cast and featuring Sarah Pederson, publican of Saraveza, and Tonya Cornett, award winning brewmaster of Bend Brewing, The Love of Beer provides an intimate portrayal of the women in the Pacific NW craft beer industry.  These inspiring women are not afraid to fight discrimination and make sacrifices for the sake of their craft. While they acknowledge that their struggles are opening doors for females everywhere, they’re not doing it for feminism or equality…they’re doing it for the love of beer.

-“I watched the documentary with a lump in my throat and tear in my eye. Thank you for creating this documentary. It was moving in many ways and thank you for addressing the taboo subject of childbearing as a professional woman. Cheers to amazing women!” -Julia Ratcliff

-“You captured the extraordinary personalities & talent of the women you highlighted in your film…One more thing, on the way home I stopped @ the store and bought a craft beer from one of the brewers I saw on screen.”- Annette Hadaway

-“A sensitive yet honest appraisal of women’s strength and joy. Cheers to you and all involved” -The Beer Babe

-”What a great portrayal of passion in brewing, and the women who help spearhead the craft beer movement. Simply awesome.” – The Beer Goddess

Watch our trailer or read additional reviews at http://theloveofbeermovie.com
Total Running Time: 72 minutes

Posted under beer events, beers on film, events, Oregon beer, places to drink beer

“The Love of Beer” Movie Showing at Oakshire Brewing
Wednesday, November 30th from 6:30-9:30pm
Show starts at 7:30
$7 tickets available at Oakshire or 16 Tons Taphouse.
Minors welcome. Great Beer specials that day!
Filmmaker Alison Grayson in attendance.
Proceeds to help Alison further distribute the movie!
Facebook events page: http://www.facebook.com/events/140523536055491

For more info contact Mike Coplin (541) 953-2530

Posted under beer events, beers on film, events, Oregon beer, places to drink beer

Oakshire Brewing and 16 Tons Beer & Wine of Eugene, Oregon will feature two events highlighting the women of the craft beer industry. These events include a women-only tasting at the bottleshop and tasting room as well as a screening of Alison Grayson’s documentary film The Love of Beer. This screening will also include a question and answer session with the filmmaker following the event. Here’s the details for these undertakings:Our 2nd Women’s Only Beer Tasting and Discussion!
Supreme Bean 2864 Willamette #500
Tuesday November 29th from 6-9pm
Special guests include:
Alison Grayson, Producer of The Love of Beer movie (http://theloveofbeermovie.com/)
Em Sauter, Creator of Pints and Panels (http://www.pintsandpanels.com/)
Erin Kemplin, Stone Brewing Co. Oregon Regional Brewery Representative (http://www.stonebrew.com/)
& more.
Minors welcome! Full dinner and desert menu!
Facebook events page: http://www.facebook.com/events/196149960462514

16 Tons
Taphouse 265 E 13th Eugene, OR 97401
Union Cafe 2684 Willamette #500 Eugene, OR 97405

Posted under beer events, beers on film, events, Oregon beer, places to drink beer

Oakshire Brewing and 16 Tons Beer & Wine of Eugene, Oregon will feature two events highlighting the women of the craft beer industry. These events include a women-only tasting at the bottleshop and tasting room as well as a screening of Alison Grayson’s documentary film The Love of Beer. This screening will also include a question and answer session with the filmmaker following the event. Here’s the details for these undertakings: Read More…

Posted under beer events, beers on film, Oregon beer, places to drink beer

Posted under beer events, events, Oregon beer, places to drink beer

By Angelo De Ieso II

The Love of Beer – A documentary by Portland, Oregon’s Alison Grayson highlighting the regional accomplishments, struggles, and the presence of women in the craft beer industry.

The film opens with the sun rising over a hopyard before the late summer harvest along with the voices of various women stating their position. The first voice we recognize is Bend Brewing’s Tonya Cornett, a central figure in Grayson’s documentary, and perhaps the best known woman in the Northwest’s vibrant brewing community.

The Love of Beer is loaded with rich imagery depicting multifarious stages of the brewing process from the harvesting and processing of ingredients to bottling and pouring on the hospitality end. Grayson does a nice job in allowing her visual content to speak as prominently as the featured women’s own voices. The film maker does not employ a scripted narrative, rather she projects through illustrations and mindful editing.

Though many females are featured in The Love of Beer, the heart of Grayson’s work focuses on a handful of central personalities. Read More…

Posted under beer history, Beer personalities, beer reviews, beers on film, Oregon beer