Founded in 2007, the Pink Boots Society is a non-profit organization that seeks to highlight, educate and advance women in the craft beer industry. In addition to regular mentorship and scholarship programs, the group notably sponsors and hosts a collaborative brew day once per year on International Women’s Day (March 8). Hop blends are pre-selected yearly by Pink Boots members at their national meeting (and supplied to each participating brewery through a partnership with Yakima Chief Hops), but otherwise, each brewery is free to be creative with its brew.

This March, we brewed and released our take on the 2020 hop blend--Azacca, El Dorado, Idaho Gem, and Loral--in collaboration with women from Remedy Brewing Company, Covert Artisan Ales, Marto Brewing Company, Jackson Street Brewing, Dempsey Brewing Company, Ben’s Brewing Co., and Buffalo Ridge Brewing Project. The result was an Orange Oat Cream IPA crafted with the hop blend and a bit of added citrus.

Five women representing Fernson were in attendance on brew day. In fact, one of our brewers, Nicki Werner, led the group through the creation of the IPA. She said the direction she chose for the beer was largely a matter of the hops but also partly a selfish choice.

“This year's blend has Idaho Gem, a super juicy, candy-like hop that is hard to get. The whole blend was super fruity and juicy,” she said. “Separately, I have been wanting to brew with oat milk for a while; it has so much potential to brew sweet, creamy, milkshake-like brews without the commonly used lactose, which many are intolerant to.”

Werner has been involved with the Pink Boots Society since 2014, when she was brewing for a start-up in Milwaukee. Since, it has become a highly anticipated part of her year.

“This day is something I look forward to every year, like a holiday for me,” she said. “I can't explain how nice it feels to just have that comradery and be with all these passionate women of similar kinship.”

Other Fernson representatives included Addi Schurrer, a Market Manager, and Cassandra Swenson, a former beertender at the company and the designer of the Orange Oat Cream label.

Schurrer, who’s been with the company since June 2017, said that the 2020 brew’s release was bittersweet due to current global health concerns.

“This year's [beer]...was aimed as a multi-state release with events promoting women in the beer industry. Unfortunately we didn't plan for our current situation, and who could have?” she said. “What has been inspiring is seeing how quickly it's selling in stores and hearing from other women how special something so small as a beer means to them.”

Thankfully, Schurrer added that there’s been no shortage of demand for the beer or support for the cause so far.

“Our accounts have been quick to jump at the opportunity to support a Pink Boots brew, and most of our buyers are men,” Schurrer said. “It's definitely getting a lot of love.”

And some of that is likely due to its looks. The label flashes handwritten, white copy over bright oranges and greens, making something that’s both personal and playful, as designer Cassandra Swenson intended.

“The beer had a fun, fruity, creamsicle vibe to it, so I wanted to play up those colors and pop it with a bit of teal,” Swenson said. “Once I figured out where I wanted to take the design, I got into a pretty good groove, and was able to play with the colors and the organic waves quite a bit.”

Still, a label is only as good as the beer inside, so Swenson reserved her praise for the women who brought it to life, especially Fernson’s own.

“When Nicki was brought on to the Fernson team, she came with a wealth of information, and [she] has created some really phenomenal beers,” Swenson said. “She's so passionate about Pink Boots Society and creating an environment for women to feel encouraged and supported, and that's always worth celebrating.”

Unfortunately, the idea of women in beer still seems odd to some, and being a woman in the industry can unearth harsh truths about gender stereotypes that make obvious the need for groups like the Pink Boots Society. Schurrer spoke to these preconceptions.

“I believe a lot of that has to do with optics, almost as much as every brewer feeling the need to have a beard these days,” Schurrer said. “I also see societal influences being a big part of distancing women from beer in general. It has been marketed as a man's beverage for a long time, and those things can't be changed overnight.”

Still, Werner finds comfort in what she described as the “exhaustive and varied” history of women in brewing. She recalled a favorite anecdote.

“The image of a witch with a pointy hat, riding a broom, standing over a cauldron, actually came out of how beer economies and women brewers evolved after the plague in 13th century England,” she said. “In my experience, yes, sometimes people do find it somewhat of a novelty that I am a woman brewer. I just tell them I'm descended from witches and that seems to go over well.”

Join us in celebrating the women of the beer industry by trying Fernson’s 2020 Pink Boots Orange Oat Cream IPA! Order online (fernson.com/shop), call ahead or visit Fernson Downtown, or ask your local liquor or grocery store about availability. Cheers! 

Links to resources:

https://www.pinkbootssociety.org/about-us/

https://www.pinkbootssociety.org/pink-boots-brew/

https://www.pinkbootssociety.org/scholarships/

https://www.pinkbootssociety.org/jobs/

Words By: Justin Kautz

Justin Kautz is the Fernson Downtown Assistant to the Regional Manager.