Do you ever feel like you aren’t qualified to do something? I often feel that way when I sit down to write a new article but that feeling has never been stronger than now. Tackling the topic of Women In Craft Beer isn’t something I’ve taken lightly.
From the beginning, I knew I needed to proceed with caution. Diversity in the beer industry is an important topic so it should be treated with respect.
And since I’m not a woman, I lack the proper perspective to accurately and appropriately talk about it. So I’ve partnered with people that do have perspective.
This article is not about how to solve gender inequality but rather a platform for a few women to share their thoughts about who they are, what they do and why they do it – as it relates to craft beer. It’s a simple way to celebrate and discuss gender diversity in craft beer.
Finally, you should know this is a three part series. The next article will be focused on the controversial topic of how women are used in the marketing of beer. Then, I’ll wrap up the series with an article about how we can help improve gender equality in craft beer.
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Lindsey Roeper
CEO – Rivertown Brewery & Barrel House
There are few people that you will meet that have the same level of energy and passion for craft beer as Lindsey. She’s the CEO/Dream Facilitator for Rivertown Brewery & Barrel House and has been in the Cincinnati craft beer community for a long time.
But Lindsey didn’t get her start at Rivertown. She began her career in beer 12 years ago as a sales person at a wholesaler. She knew next to nothing about beer but Kris Klepper, Mike Klepper, Jim Huffman and Randy Ray at BeerCo gave her a shot. They invested in her knowledge and helped her pave a career in beer.
She credits them with much of the success she’s had. In addition, she noted the impact that her husband and co-owner of Rivertown, Jason, has made. He has challenged and pushed her every step of the way as they’ve grown their brewery.
While Rivertown has been opened since 2009, it wasn’t easy growing this company and a lot has changed along the way. Not only have they grown in size, the even opened up a new location and restaurant last year which she notes as her greatest career accomplishment.
Seeing The Culture Change
For Lindsey, she recalls when wheat beers were considered trendy. And she saw the writing on the wall that IPAs would be the next big thing and that is exactly what happened. Now it seems like the options are limitless and brewers are really pushing the limits.
She’s also witnessed a lot change for women. When she started, there were only a handful of other women in the industry. While Lindsey didn’t see being a woman as a disadvantage, she would tell you that it took a lot of work to be successful.
Her advice to other women is to “Jump in and be deadly in your knowledge, planning & execution, be tenacious and grow your personal brand alongside your beer brand! Do not be basic.”
At Rivertown, they keep gender out of hiring decisions and she believes that most of the industry does the same now. In today’s world, it’s about finding someone with that is qualified and fits the culture of the business.
Lindsey believes the beer culture overall has improved in regards to treatment of women. In the past, she’s hosted a dark beer event where a few men were shocked to see women drinking a dark, rich imperial stout. Because in their minds, “women don’t like dark beer”.
She also told me of a brand that attempted to launch a beer called “Chick Beer” back in 2011. It was a low-carb, lightly carbonated beer that gave drinkers (in their words) “less of that bloaty feeling”. This was targeted at women and obviously assumed they didn’t like “real beer”.
Luckily, people like Lindsey are helping to reveal the truth that many women do love craft beer. She’s a great example of how knowledge, hard work and being inclusive can produce great results. And during her rise to craft beer greatness, she’s witnessed the culture change and become more inclusive to beer loving women.
Linsey Kraeling
Beer Enthusiast And Tour De Cincinnati
I love Cincinnati. Born and raised here, I don’t think I appreciated this city much until I was an adult. Following others that have passion for this city helps me discover all of the things that make it great.
Tour De Cincinnati is a blog ran by Linsey Kraeling that helps Cincinnati-ans learn and appreciate our hometown. She’s also an avid craft beer fan.
I wanted to include the customer perspective in this article so Linsey was the ideal person to provide us with the view from the other side of the bar.
Being a frequent visitor to taprooms across the city, she’s witness to how women are treated. And while it isn’t perfect, she does think the climate has improved.
Kraeling told me, “I think women are more widely accepted as beer drinkers nowadays and, while it’s more common that women drink hoppy beers, I still get “Are you sure?” when I ask for sours. Like I have no idea what a sour beer is and what it will taste like. I think there’s still a presumption that most women are ignorant about beer styles and can’t handle sour (or even bitter sometimes).”
This ignorance is often a deterrent to having more women enjoy craft beer and can be very intimidating for those new to this hobby.
She also spoke about how diversity (gender and race) help everyone feel more comfortable. “It makes me very happy to see women and people of color working in a white-male-dominated industry”, Linsey commented.
The idea of being inclusive to all types of people is really the only way to ensure that everyone feels welcomed. And she went on to say that is quick to patronize breweries where women are a prominent part of the business. She says, “It’s not a deal-breaker, but it’s certainly a bonus.”
Specifically, she mentioned Listermann Brewing which we will discuss a little bit later in the article.
The View From The Customer’s Perspective
Women like craft beer. Yes, many women really do love craft beer and not just the ones that work in the industry.
While Linsey will most often be found drinking craft beer with her husband, she’s also made many female friends that share her affinity for craft beer. But there’s still a lack of representation for women.
Linsey tells me, “I still don’t see a ton of female beer enthusiasts (comparatively), but it’s getting better now that it’s [drinking craft beer] not just being seen as a masculine thing to do.”
I agree with her, when I visit a taproom the ratio of men to women is no where close to 50/50. In many cases, it’s more like 80/20. But how can we change that?
Linsey believes that we have to do a better job of seeing the female viewpoint as valuable. In her experience, “one of the worst things for me is when people don’t take my opinion(s) seriously. Again, I think there is a perception of lack of beer IQ because I am a woman. I know what I’m talking about enough to make a proper recommendation based on style.”
Women want to feel that their knowledge and opinions are valued and not overlooked just because it comes from a certain gender.
Kraeling also expressed a desire for more taprooms and events that are inclusive to everyone. This means men, women, families and pets when possible. This makes it even more inviting for women to come to the local taproom.
“I like to think times are changing.” That’s how Linsey wrapped up her thoughts and I’d have to agree. We aren’t where we need to be but we definitely aren’t where we started either. Progress is good.
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Kristen Ballinger
Marketing Manager – Listermann Brewing
While Kristen is new to working for a brewery (1 1/2 years), she’s worked in a few different restaurants, craft beer bars and in alcohol retail for over 6 years.
So she knows a lot about what happens with beer after it leaves the brewery.
But even with that experience, getting her shot to work at Listermann Brewing wasn’t easy. She let me know that the hardest part was getting her foot in the door.
That isn’t too surprising because breweries are a very desirable job right now. And it seems like every employee at a brewery is a bearded, tattooed man.
But Kristen didn’t give up and spent a lot of time at Listermann Brewing before she was hired on to work in the taproom. The hard work didn’t stop there as she pushed hard to be noticed and be heard.
While she gained inspiration from the strong leadership and social responsibility of Kim Jordan (co-founder of New Belgium), Kristen also gives credit to Allen Moellman (brewer at Listermann) for mentoring and teaching her the art of brewing.
Which leads us to where she is today, managing the Marketing for Listermann Brewing.
Kristen encourages others by saying “Being persistent and continuing to work hard eventually pays off.” More about how “persistence” ties into beer next.
Leaving Her Mark
Days from when this article is first published, Kristen will see the fruits of her hard work pay off.
On March 8th, International Women’s Day, Listermann Brewing is having a special event with the release of three craft beers brewed by women in craft beer from Cincinnati.
While this isn’t the first time they’ve celebrated this day, it is bigger and better than ever before.
Not only was the beer brewed by women, but the event is raising money for Women Helping Women. This Cincinnati-based social service helps women who are victims of gender-based violence.
This is craft beer at its core; the ability to bring people together and have a positive impact on the community.
There are three beers being released on International Women’s Day:
- Call To Farms – Farmhouse Ale
- Riveting Rosie – Farmhouse Ale w/ Rosehips And Hibiscus
- Tastes Like Persistence – Dark Farmhouse Ale w/ Cardamom, Cocoa Nibs And Black Pepper
Check Out The Event Details Here
Riveting Rosie was released last year as well and I can attest to it being a great beer. I’m excited to get my hands on all three – especially that Dark Farmhouse Ale.
Kristen tells me that “It was such a great feeling of connection and empowerment to have all of these women come together to brew this beer. I was overwhelmed with the participation and the people that have reached out to me for this project.”
As you can see, it is important for women to support other women to give them the strength and encouragement to continue to press forward and make an impact in craft beer.
Kat Finn
Chapter Head For Girls Pint Out And Beer Server
The need for more gender diversity in craft beer isn’t a new thing; in fact there are numerous organizations that have been around for a while and are dedicated to helping women find craft beer.
One organization is Girls Pint Out. In my area, Kat Finn is the Chapter Head.
Their tagline and mission is “Building a community of women who love craft beer”. Pretty simple and straightforward.
They accomplish this goal by hosting events that are targeted at getting women into taprooms and providing resources so they can learn more about craft beer.
Having the input of a Girls Pint Out (GPO) Chapter Head was valuable to me as she works hard every day to ensure more and more women find their passion for craft beer.
In addition to being the GPO Chapter Head, Kat has worked in the beer industry for just over a year. The networking opportunities of GPO are what she credits with being able to land a job in the beer industry.
In fact, networking is her advice for other women (or anyone) looking to get into the craft beer industry.
She said, “Network! Get to know the owners of your favorite breweries, as well as the bar staff. Volunteer at local beer events.”
And she lives out that advice on a regular basis as a staple in the Cincinnati craft beer community.
Currently, you can find Kat pouring your favorite beers at Fibonnacci Brewing and Streetside Brewery.
Working in the industry has been a great experience for Kat. She tells me that interacting with customers is really fulfilling.
“Having the ability to educate customers and patrons who want to learn and understand the craft beer process, the different styles, etc” is one of her greatest accomplishments so far.
Since this is her first experience in the industry, she recognizes how much there is to learn about beer so sharing that information helps create a connection with them.
Women’s Issues In Craft Beer
As a long time craft beer fan and a women in the beer industry, Kat has a great handle on the current climate of gender issues.
She told me that a lot has changed. Kat says, “I believe the bias (hiring men) is quickly disappearing, especially within recent years. There are more and more women being hired for brewery and craft beer jobs than there was even three years ago.”
So while this is a positive trend, it also speakers to a history that isn’t easy to overcome.
And many people that work in the beer industry still have some outdated mindsets when it comes to what women prefer to drink. Kat says that beer servers often make assumptions about what she wants to drink – noting it happens at bars more often than breweries.
She’s been told that “you wouldn’t like it because most women don’t” when ordering specific styles of beer. And has often been given the wine or cocktail list while men are handed the beer list.
And while this does happen on occasssion, she feels that things are improving but there’s still work to be done.
To be inclusive to women, Kat tells me that breweries need to “Treat all customers and patrons the same. Host events that encourage women to attend. Educate the customer when they have questions. Make the customer’s experience an enjoyable one where they will keep coming back.”
If we want craft beer to grow then we all have to realize that women will be a huge part of it.
Want to know more about Kat and GPO?
Connect with Kat:
Connect with GPO:
What I Learned
There’s not much more I can say that these women haven’t already said but this article needs a conclusion so . . . I’ll say a little something.
My takeaway on their comments is there is a wide range of experiences and each one is valuable.
Our culture has become very aware of gender issues and many are striving to correct these injustices. But there are many women that haven’t had those bad experiences and instead have been embraced and encouraged.
The beer industry remains heavily dominated by men but with strong, hard working women joining the industry; we will see a better balanced future.
Will there ever be a 50/50 split? I’m not sure but either way, women should have a fair shot at a career in craft beer. And from what I can tell, having more women in craft beer can only lead to great things for everyone.
Hopefully you gained some insight and appreciation for how these women are progressing craft beer and gender equality.
Stay tuned for more articles about Women in Craft Beer later this week which will include more thoughts from these four women.
What Are Some Of The Most Influential Women In Craft Beer That You Know?
Make Sure To Read The Rest Of The Series:
Women In Beer Marketing: Often Offensive And Rarely Effective
Gender Equality In Craft Beer: How You Can Help Close The Gender Gap
