Women making beer is really nothing new. Centuries old, actually. But, twenty or so years ago when I first got into craft beer, female role models in the industry were far and few between. Heck, I really didn’t even have any female friends to drink beer with!
The glamour part of brewing (photo by Ivy Villegas Borges)
Decades later, women are becoming increasingly more visible in the craft beer community: girl beer geeks, homebrewers, professional brewsters, journalists, judges, and Cicerones. And it’s about time we celebrate this!
The weekend before last I had the pleasure of joining a group of women at Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing’s Strong Women Brew Day. Listed as an SF Beer Week event, the goal of the annual gathering is to encourage women to take up homebrewing and carry on the tradition that strong women drink strong beer.
The day started with a tasty continental breakfast with the brewers. Participants connected with friends and perked up with some freshly brewed local coffee as the brewery’s co-owner Emily Thomas welcomed us and told us about the day. While we were all lollygagging around, Maggie, Emily’s sister and one of SCMB’s brewsters, started her brewday. The work must go on after all!
Learning to brew
Out in the beer garden, Nicole Todd, an SCMB brewer who also sits on the board of Seven Bridges, the local homebrew co-op, commenced her home brew demonstration. This was no stand around and stare at the homebrewer demo, though. Women crowded around Nicole asking questions along the way and scribbling furiously in their notebooks. With no plans to become a homebrewer, I occasionally left Nicole’s presentation to watch Maggie brew inside.
Mid-day, we were treated to a healthy (very Santa Cruz-esque) spread of cheese, fruit, hummus, tahini and pita bread. Samples of Santa Cruz Mountain’s brews also started making it through the crowd. In addition to tasting their regular line up (Wheat, Amber, Pale Ale, IPA, Brown, Stout and Porter), we were also treated to a couple of seasonal beers.
Valentine’s Day release Love Potion, is a beautiful ruby-colored ale brewed with rose hips, hibiscus, and raspberries. Weighing in at a very drinkable 5% ABV and with just a hint of sourness, it was my favorite of the day. Another seasonal offering included in our sampler was Singular Sensation, a single hop amber made with the new organic hop Rakau. A tasty brew with a nice hop flavor (and without the bitterness), it was an easy drinking 6% ABV.
We wrapped up the day in the early afternoon with a big round of applause to ourselves. A day hanging out at Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing with a group of intelligent women serious about beer and brewing was a treat indeed. Be sure to put Strong Women Brew Day on your SFBW calendar for next year. I know I will!
A big thank you to Emily, Maggie, and Nicole for hosting a great day!
I am happy to report that feedback on the book continues to be very positive! People enjoy the armchair travel aspect of it as they’re transported to the world’s greatest beer destinations.
Click the book cover to purchase Teachings from the Tap
One suggestion I received was to offer beer-chapter pairings. It’s an awesome idea and I wish I had thought of it! In response, I have put together a list of suggested beers to enjoy with each chapter. Happy reading and happy drinking!
January: For our very first trip of the Year in Beer, Chris and I traveled to Alaska for the Great Alaska Beer and Barleywine Festival. I suggest pairing this chapter with your favorite Barleywine. With a glass of this style in your hand, you can do as the Alaskans do to weather the cold winter months. As an alternate, Panty Peeler, a Belgian triple, from Anchorage’s own Midnight Sun Brewing is a great choice.
Hop Crisis at 21A
February: This month, we went to San Francisco for Beerapalooza, the precursor to SF Beer Week. Cracking open one of 21st Amendment’s canned beers will help transport you to the City by the Bay. My favorite is Bitter American Extra Pale Ale, but the Brew Free or Die IPA and Hop Crisis Imperial IPA do not disappoint.
March: In March everyone becomes Irish, at least on March 17th. We celebrated St. Patrick’s Day in arguably the country’s most Irish city: Boston. By drinking a Harpoon IPA you’ll feel like you’re right there in Beantown with us. Heck, you may even want to treat yourself to a lobster roll or lobster bisque while you’re at it. Better still, if you’re lucky enough to be in Boston, read the book at your favorite Beer Works location and have a Curley’s Dry Irish Stout. Sláinte!
April: We learned two things during our April visit to Seattle: 1) everything deserves a second chance and 2) it can get darn cold in the Emerald City. So first, I suggest giving a beer you haven’t had in a long while, a second chance. Who knows? It may surprise you! Or second, if you’re lucky enough to live in a state that distributes Elysian, I suggest getting cozy with their Dragonstooth Stout, an Imperial Oatmeal Stout that warms the soul with its rich flavor of coffee and dark chocolate.
Kölsch in Köln
May: This month took us to Franconia for Germany’s second largest beer festival. Along the way we made stops in Bamberg and Cologne. One beer that will put you in the spirit of this chapter’s adventure is Schenkerla’s world famous Rauchbier. If smoked beers don’t tickle your fancy, go lighter and pour yourself a Kölsch, Cologne’s namesake beer style.
June: In June we went to Ireland. Here I would suggest anything other than Guinness and preferably an Irish craft beer. One of my favorite Irish craft beers is Galway Hooker Irish Pale Ale. However, unless you’re in Ireland, you won’t be able to drink this beer as you read about our adventures on the Emerald Isle. Several beers from Porterhouse Brewing Co. and Carlow Brewing Co. are available in the U.S. and are great choices to get you in the spirit of the chapter.
Hopworks Urban Brewery
July: In July, we went to the Oregon Brewers Festival, an event that brings back many memories for us. For this chapter I suggest going nostalgic and have a Full Sail beer of your choice. One of the classic Oregon breweries, their beers remain solid and refreshing.
August: August was about finally making a proper beer visit to England. Of course the beer to drink there is real ale, so ditch any thought of a lager or kegged ale. Go to your favorite pub serving beer on cask or grab yourself a Fuller’s London Pride. Then crack open the book and join us as we celebrate the great English brewing tradition.
Ein Maß of Festbier
September: This month was an easy trip to plan for the Year in Beer. We went to Oktoberfest, the penultimate adventure for any beer geek. Of course the pairing of choice is to fill yourself up a Maß of fest beer from any one of Munich’s six breweries. Put on your lederhosen or dirndl and you’ll be hearing Oompah music in no time. Prost!
October: October took us to Denver and the GABF, a place where any beer geek can feel right at home. While there, we learned that Denver’s weather can be a bit finicky. It can be cold one day and warm the next. So, this pairing depends on the weather; a refreshing Great Divide Titan IPA when it’s warm or Great Divide’s Yeti Imperial Stout if it’s not.
November: November’s trip took us to San Diego, one of the beer world’s most celebrated meccas. It would be easy to pair this chapter with one of San Diego’s big name breweries, but that would be buying into the hype. There is so much more to San Diego’s beer scene and Alpine Beer Company is a perfect example. One of the area’s more understated breweries, they let the beer speak for itself. I suggest the Alpine Ale, while Chris prefers Pure Hoppiness.
Finish the book up with a Westy…
December: We went all out for our final trip of the year. We traveled to Belgium for the Kirstbierfest and aimed to visit all 7 Trappist breweries. The perfect way to celebrate the end of the Year in Beer is to pair this chapter with a Trappist beer. A Westvleteren, if you can get your hands on one, embodies the great accomplishment of reaching the end of our yearlong endeavor. While not my personal favorite, drinking this beer while enjoying the tale of our Belgium adventure will help you feel the same sense of accomplishment that we did when reached our goal. A more accessible alternate is Orval. Always a great beer, drinking one while reading about our visit there will have you packing for Belgium!
As we gear up for the holiday shopping season, I’m reminded of the importance of supporting small business owners by shopping local. This year, I am happy to report that we have yet another local option when it comes to craft beer: Hollister Hills Taproom and Brewery in nearby Hollister.
Merideth with Sean and Fran Fitzharris
Joann Kim and Chuck Frowein, proprietors of Grillin & Chillin, teamed up with friends and homebrewers Sean and Fran Fitzharris to open a small taphouse and brewery with a cozy neighborhood feel. Hollister Hills is definitely compact, something the owners hope to change in the near future, but what they do with the small space is amazing!
Plenty of beer choices at Hollister Hills
There are 37 guest taps plus housemade beers and sodas. Over several visits to “H2B” (as Sean and Fran refer to it), Chris and I have tried Sean’s Hillside IPA (6.5% ABV, 65 IBUs), Red Beard Amber (5.5% ABV), and Easy…Like Sunday Morning Blonde. We even got a sneak peek taste of a wheat beer made with chamomile and agave. H2B is breaking new ground, as rumor has it that an IPA has never been brewed in Hollister before now.
For only having been open for a month and a half, the beers are solid. Just like any new beer establishment, it often takes time to adjust to the brewing system and iron out the kinks. I’m confident that the brews at Hollister Hills will get better and better as they settle in.
Simple, delicious, beer-friendly food
The food is great, which is always a plus in my book. No fried pub food here, the H2B menu includes carving boards (meat, cheese, deli, and Mediterranean), pressed sandwiches (my favorite is the Turkey Cranberry), a variety of salads, and daily soups. Pizzas and chili dogs were recently added to the menu, as well. They also have snack items like a soft pretzel and nachos. I especially like the flavored popcorns, both savory and sweet are available. The lemon pepper popcorn is the perfect beer snack!
The staff is friendly and knowledgeable. Beer geeks and beer novices alike are welcomed with open arms and even non-locals will feel included, especially when seated at the bar. Hollister Hills Taproom and Brewery embodies the spirit of “Drink Local” and it’s sure to become the community’s gathering spot.
While on our recent trip to Germany, Chris and I visited our 750th brewery! Three quarters of the way to a thousand! Together! The same one!
Catching up to Chris…
That’s right, the one thing I left out of my August post about going to Rogue Farms is that I visited a new brewery, Fire on the Mountain, in Portland that Chris hasn’t been to. That put us even in the brewery count. From here on out (at least until Chris visits the brewery), we will celebrate important List milestones together. It’s very romantic…in a beer geek sort of way.
At the beginning of our trip to Germany in mid-September, we spent three days with our friends Ute and Wolfgang. You may remember them from tales featured in Teachings From The Tap. Excited that we were in Mannheim for several days, they had a number of things planned for us, including brewery visits.
Crossing the Rhine
One of our days started out with a trip to Weisses Haus’l Hausbrauerei in Ludwigshafen, a short distance from Mannheim center. As we crossed the Rhine, the puffing smokestacks of the industrial area gave way to caravan parks and walking trails. A small winding road shrouded in trees led us to the Weisses Haus’l Hausbrauerei. Hidden amongst trees and bushes, the beer garden in front of the brewery seemed like the front yard of a friend’s house.
Starting the day at Weisses Haus’l Hausbrauerei…
The first customers of the day, it was quiet and peaceful, especially with the large Koi pond. To accompany our Weissbiers and Dunkles, we enjoyed Weisser Käse, a creamy white cheese dip/spread. We had never had it before and served on bread, it was the perfect beer drinking snack. This was a quick stop, however, as we had plans to meet up with our friend Tine (Tina in English) in Worms.
Worms is a city that has existed since before the Romans and it battles Trier and Cologne for the title of “Oldest City in Germany.” Given Worms is a stop for all the Rhine river cruises, it could also battle for the Germany’s “Oldest Tourists” title.
A Festbier along the Rhine
More importantly, it is the home of Wormser Hagenbräu. Located on the Rhine, we were warmed by the sun as we sat outside and enjoyed the view of passing barges and people on the promenade.
Their Helles paired well with Chris’ bratwurst and the Festbier with my käsespäztle. Tine got a kick out of signing her name to our personal copy of Teachings From The Tap on the page where she is mentioned (Page 167).
Ute thought it important that we also visit cultural sites, not just breweries on our trip. Coincidentally, Tine, who works in Worms, suggested a visit to some of the city’s historical sites.
Heiliger Sand
We first visited the Jewish cemetery in Worms. Heiliger Sand is the oldest surviving Jewish cemetery in Europe, with the oldest legible tombstone being 1076. As are all cemeteries, it was a solemn, yet peaceful place. Burials continued there up until the 1930s, so some of the markers were clearly legible. Others, however, were pitted and worn by centuries of German weather and leaning every which way by the shifting ground. It was a beautifully spooky landscape that reminded me just how old Europe really is.
The Dom in Worms
We then took a look inside the Dom St. Peter, “one of the finest examples of High Romanesque architecture in Germany.” I wouldn’t know Romanesque architecture from Gothic, but I do know that the gold-gilded high altar was amazing! Feeling pious and sufficiently awed by religious splendor, it was time to return to Mannheim.
Our 750th brewery
We have visited Mannheim numerous times. And Ute and Wolfgang have taken us to several breweries in the area. However, one brewery we had never been to was Eichbaum, located right in the city. Sticking with the motto “Drink local,” Eichbaum is our beer of choice when in Mannheim. I guess it’s so part of our experience there, we never thought to visit the brewery. Ute and Wolfgang once tried to arrange a tour for us, but they don’t offer them.
Across town from Ute and Wolfgang’s flat, we really hadn’t considered going to the brewery’s bräustube until this trip. The most exciting realization after deciding to go was that it would be our 750th brewery visit.
We took the long way to find Eichbaum
We took the light rail over to the Wohlgelegen district of the city. Wolfgang led the way and we made it across the street and down just a few yards. However, he decided that was the wrong way and we instead went the opposite direction and made a huge loop around the block. We eventually located the bräustube. It was just 30 yards from where we started had we continued in our original direction. We laughed at our misguided excursion and joked about lost beer drinking time, but our route offered us a chance to fully understand the mystique of Eichbaum.
Leichen Wasser
Locals lovingly (and sometimes not so lovingly) refer to Eichbaum as “Leichen Wasser” or corpse water. This macabre nickname stems from the fact that the brewery uses a water source that runs under the cemetery across the street. By going the long way around, Chris and I were treated to a glimpse of the cemetery we had heard so much about. This discovery added to the adventure and helped build anticipation around making our milestone brewery visit.
Very modern…
Eichbaum’s bräustube is modern inside with a long sleek bar, green-colored back lighting, and slide show signage. However, the beer garden, feeling like an enclosed courtyard, was much more our speed. Not very crowded outside, we settled into a large round table. Chris, Wolfie and I enjoyed a few Kellerbiers and Ureich Premium Lagers, while Ute opted for, of all things, a Berliner Weiss (the green kind).
Happy 750!
More important than the beer, though, was the fact that we once again shared our beer adventures with Ute and Wolfgang. As we frequently say, beer travel is so much more than the beer. It is the ambiance and the personal interactions.
Finishing up a good day in Mannheim
The heart of beer travel is the way the experience makes you feel. For that reason, we always remember our milestone brewery visits. We also always think that the most recent milestone is the most epic ever. But this time it truly was. Celebrating with dear friends in a city we feel at home in could be nothing less than epic. This amazing achievement couldn’t have been better had Chris planned it ahead of time.
Cheers to milestones and good times spent with good friends. Here’s to many more trips to Mannheim and to the next 750 breweries!
Chris and I rarely beer travel separately. We enjoy traveling together and it feels weird to do otherwise. However, when I was presented with an opportunity to spend the day out at Rogue Farms celebrating women, beer and agriculture, I had to do it. And, leave Chris behind.
Rogue farms in Independence, OR
Beer Goddess Lisa Morrison and I started the morning out with an hour and a half drive from Portland down to Independence, a small pastoral town with lots of character. After a few missed turns due to chatting, we arrived at Rogue Farms. I was first struck with the size of the farm. I expected the hop yard (which was as impressive as any I’ve seen in Germany), but I didn’t realize all the other wonderful things going on there.
Acres and acres of hop bine walls on my left were matched on my right with a hazelnut orchard, rye field and beehives as we drove in. Shortly after arriving, the group of mostly media folks (and mostly women) gathered in the James and Franny Coleman Conference Center. Barley’s Angels Director Christine Jump organized the day’s schedule with fun and informative activities that started out with a taco lunch made with Chicken cooked in Rogue’s Chipotle Ale. It was very tasty, but admittedly it was odd that we were only offered water and pink lemonade for beverages (no beer).
During our lunch, we were treated to an entertaining talk about “beer vacations” from the famous Teri Fahrendorf. She offered great tips for organizing a well-planned, beer-packed adventure, as well as talked about her famous Pink Boots Tour, the cross-country journey that gave rise to the Pink Boots Society.
oh beautiful hops…
The next activity was a hopyard tour led by Farm Manager Natascha Cronin. While surrounded by Independent hop bines, she admitted to being a bit nervous talking to a bunch of well-versed beer people. Natascha performed brilliantly, however, as she led us through the life of a hop on Rogue Farms—from growing and harvesting to kilning and baling.
We then gathered outside on the lawn for Lisa’s seminar on proper glassware. She led us in an extremely effective exercise with spiced gumdrops that demonstrated the importance of aroma (I don’t want to give away Lisa’s party trick, so all I’ll say is that it was amazing!) and guided us through a taste test using various glassware, including one that fully cups around your nose and mouth. Her talk also gave us the first opportunity to drink some beer! Drinking Rogue Chocolate Stout out of a pilsner glass was an interesting experience to say the least. So was sharing the outdoor area with a handful of chickens who weaved in and around our tables. One especially vocal rooster even gave Lisa several crows of approval towards the end of her talk.
The Farmstead brewery…
More beer was to come as we took a “tour” of the Farmstead Brewery. The tour consisted of hanging out in a barn with a woodworking shop on one end and a 1.5 bbl system on the other. Head Brewer Josh Cronin is a down-to-earth guy who laughed at his job title. He is, after all, the only brewer. We mingled and tried out the patio furniture made from old barrels as we sipped our samples of a not yet finished Nut Brown Ale. It needed a bit more time, but the flavor was definitely there and it was good! I also appreciated Josh’s casual approach to brewing. His perspective as a brewer is very similar to my perspective as a beer drinker: Do you like the beer? Is it good? Then it’s a keeper. If not, try something else. No need to over analyze things.
Beer and food pairing…
By this time, we were running a bit behind on our agenda, so Julia Herz took us on a whirlwind adventure in food pairing. She provided a fast-paced, authoritative presentation on how flavors contrast and complement each other. All of the beers were fantastic and our selection of food items was fun. Here’s some of our table’s findings:
Chatoe Rogue’s Good Chit Pils was a perfect match with feta. Ellie’s Brown from Avery definitely did NOT go with the feta! Breckenridge’s Oatmeal Stout went very well with the dark chocolate and blue cheese was exceptional with Rogue’s Imperial IPA. The hand’s down favorite pairing at our table was also the most surprising: Crabtree Brewing’s Berliner Weiss with dill pickles! I’ll eat pickles regardless of what I’m drinking. Doesn’t matter if the flavors conflict. But now I know at least one option I can go to when chowing down on a jar of pickles. One pairing that will come as no surprise to anyone was that the caramel corn went great with everything!
Perhaps my favorite part of the day was the soap making and foot balm demonstrations by Tammy Taggart of Farmland Soap Company. Apparently my interest in this was obvious, as Lisa later told me that I looked absolutely riveted. Among her other products, Tammy talked about her methods of using craft beer in soap (a bar of which we each got to take home) and hop oil in foot balm (we got one of those, too). It was very cool to watch and even the talk of rigorous safety precautions when using lye (an extremely caustic ingredient in soap) didn’t deter me from thinking I may have found my newest hobby.
Note: In the process of making soap, the lye is neutralized when it reacts with other ingredients. So just to be clear, Tammy’s soaps are absolutely safe.
The last part of day at the farm was time at the tap room. It was also the least structured and gave us an opportunity to socialize. Our participation in the day’s events included tastes of the beer, spirits, and rootbeer. I, however, stuck with beer. I especially enjoyed the Dirtoir Black Lager while talking beer with fellow girl beer geeks Corrie and Megan.
Here with Brian Yaeger and Lisa Morrison. The end to a great day…
The crowning glory of our amazing day was a farm to table feast of roast pig, salmon, and shrimp ceviche made with lime and pilsner. The cornbread topped with garlic butter and the coleslaw were equally tasty. Unfortunately, after all that, I was too full to get my rootbeer float.
The sun was setting and Lisa began to feel the effects of being the most popular girl at the mosquito party, both signals that it was our time to leave. It had been a long and remarkable day of celebrating women, beer, and agriculture. And one I will definitely mark up there with some of my best beer adventures.
