Craft Beer & Women

As the craft brewing industry progresses there are more and more women joining in the ranks from owners to brewers and to sales and everything in between. In today’s world we would hope that this distinction between genders would be an afterthought but unfortunately this is not always the case.

The website Winebags.com has just put together an informative infographic that demonstrates the high importance of the role that women have played in brewing history.

The storyboard of the infographic reads the following:

The craft brewing industry in the U.S. has been growing at an extreme pace. The collective brewing volume of craft breweries has doubled in the past six years in the U.S. In 2012 the number of craft breweries operating in the U.S. surpassed the industry’s peak that was set in the 1880’s. This growth has introduced many new flavors and styles of beer to the U.S. and has allowed women to discover a new love for the beer.

A craft brewery is a brewery with an annual production of 6 million barrels or less.

In the United States, craft brewing employs an estimated 110,273 people. The craft brewing ecosystem continues to grow steadily as sales rose from 13.2 million barrels in 2012 to 15.6 million barrels in 2013. This amounts to $14.3 billion in sales from 2,768 U.S. craft brewers.

In ancient civilizations, women brewed for their families and sold of the excess to others nearby. Beer in Ancient Egypt was almost solely produced and sold by women, and when the U.S. was first colonized women were the primary brewers. Producing beer made from ingredients like corn, oats, wheat, and honey. Brewing didn’t become a male dominated industry until the Industrial Revolution, when the potential business opportunities were realized.

By the numbers:

20%
A 2012-1013 survey by the Gallup pole showed that 20% of women prefer beer to other alcoholic beverages. In comparison 53% of men chose beer as their first choice of alcoholic beverage.

25%
Women account for 25% of total beer consumption by volume in the U.S. and account for 37% of total craft beer consumption.

29%
An Auburn University study found that women make up 29% of brewery workers.

18-34
According to a recent poll, beer has taken the first choice of drink away from white wine in women in the 18 to 34 year old segment.