Pink Boots Making Waves And Taking A Stand
We’ve been drinking beer for nearly 7,000 years. During most of that time, women were the original and primary brewers. Despite this, women have been driven out of the industry in relatively recent history. A group called Pink Boots Society is bringing attention to women in brewing. And, Four Saints Brewing Company is joining in the effort.
For the first time, the ladies of FSBC brewed for the 2022 Pink Boots Collaboration Brew Day, and they can’t wait to share their Golden Hour Girls West Coast IPA, with you.
What Is The Pink Boots Society?
Women and/or non-binary individuals working in the brewing industry make up this organization. Pink Boots supports and represents the owners of bars and breweries, label designers, fulfillment and packaging workers, and servers. Women and non-binary members of the industry can learn, grow, and advance their knowledge and skills of front-of-the-house and back-of-the-house careers through seminars created, organized, and facilitated by the group. Besides brewing fermented beverages with the highest possible quality, Pink Boots also gives scholarships to women in the beer industry to advance their careers.
What’s their mission?
In the United States, just 2% of brewery-owned businesses are owned by women. In 2021, the Brewers Association found that 76% of all brewing-related jobs are held by men.
That’s why the Pink Boots Society was founded with a vision and a Mission:
“The Pink Boots Society was created to assist, inspire and encourage women and/or non-binary individuals in the fermented and alcoholic beverage industry to advance their careers through education.”
Pink Boots Collaboration Brew Day
Every year, the Society collaborates with Yakima Chief Hops to select the blend recipe. After receiving a virtual selection kit, chapters around the world conducted their own sensory analysis and submitted a recipe for their “dream blend.” Yep, multiple countries received kits for the 5th Annual Pink Boots Blend, including the Czech Republic, Canada, Australia, South Africa, and the United States.
Yakima Chief Hops collected the submissions and after creating three final blend recipes, and chapters cast their votes. Then, on or around International Women’s Day, breweries all over the world hosted their celebration brew day. Including our very own Four Saints Brewing Co. team.
Here’s what Four Saints Brewing Co. team member Kirstie has to say:
“For me, the most important part of Pink Boots is having a network of women in my industry, and in my area, to connect with on topics, issues, and experiences. Being a woman means facing certain challenges professionally, and in this male-dominated industry, it’s empowering to have a circle of people that I know will understand and support me. The beer industry is going through a reckoning right now and empowering women to stand up for themselves, to go for that job, to make waves, is more important now than ever. But beyond that even, I’ve met some wonderful women that I now call friends through this organization.”
A total of 400+ breweries from 20 countries have taken part in the collaboration in the past 5 years. There have been over 1,600 brew days recorded in the history of the collaboration, proving that women aren’t just here to stay, they are here to thrive.
Look for the FSBC Golden Hour Girls West Coast IPA, now fermenting and awaiting release. Proceeds will benefit The Pink Boots Society.
Learn More Here.
