Women LOVE Beer!
In today's culture it's commonly thought that men are the beer drinkers—that after work men head out to pubs, breweries, and bars to hang out and get a beer, while women prefer fruity cocktails named Blue Island Beach Sex or something else referring to sensual, tropical locations. But on International Women's Day I want to take this opportunity to honor those women who were the original beer brewers in history, talk about how the brewing industry is changing, and blow up today's stereotype... because, women LOVE beer!
The feminine nature of beer originates all the way back to 1800 B.C. with the Hymn to Ninkasi, the Sumerian goddess of beer. This same song was the original ancient beer recipe and the tradition of women brewing beer continued throughout history during colonial America with women being the primary home brewers, brewsters, and tavern owners. Then the Industrial Revolution struck in the 1800’s, and men began to see the opportunities in the beer industry and slowly took over women’s roles. However, I'm excited that today, the role of women in brewing is evolving!
I was eager to get involved in the craft beer industry and quickly realized that in order for my ideas to be considered I needed to get involved in all aspects of the brewing world, so I applied for the Brewing Science Program at Auburn University and joined the Pink Boots Society in Nashville. I have met fantastic men and women in the brewing industry thru both programs and it helped me get up to speed to run a craft brewery. I am also lucky to have a wonderful husband that has always considered us a team. Today, I'm excited that women are back in breweries across the United States as brewsters, owners, designers, and bartenders, and that Singin' River Brewing Co. is a small part of that shift.
Half of the Singin' River Brewing staff is comprised of women in the roles of owner, event coordinator and social media manager, bartender, and in the sales force, and we are honored to work with women in all aspects outside the brewery including can design, marketing, and more. And we can't forget our many customers who we are so thankful for, with the majority of our followers on social media being women and plenty of female customers stopping by the brewery to grab a beer after their run, during trivia night, or just for a girl's night out.
If you're still on the fence about diving into the world of craft beer we have female customers come in every day who are surprised by their love of craft beer once we help them find the perfect drink for their palate. A recent poll stated that women's first choice of alcohol between the ages of 18 and 34 is craft beer and no longer white wine, and we are thrilled to support that statistic. A lot of red wine consumers love our Swamper Porter, coffee drinkers love our Ghost Bridge Imperial Stout or Lyons Coffee Stout, and those who drink white wine or fruity drinks typically like our kettle sours. On Interntional Women's Day, and every day, we are proud to serve and work alongside talented women who inspire us and simply love to drink beer. Stop by and join the craft beer revolution!
Cheers,
Michelle Jones