Spunky Brewsters: Women in Craft Beer

(ROCKWALL, TX – Oct. 3, 2019) Spunky means courageous and determined. To be a woman in a male dominated industry you have to have a little bit of spunk, grit, and general bad assery. A woman brewer is referred to as a Brewster. There are several local women that are kicking butt and taking names in the local beer scene.

But let’s take a brief look through history at a woman who made great strides and paved the way for all of us boss beer babes. Susannah Oland was an Englishwoman who immigrated to Canada in 1865. She was the creator of a beer recipe which became the basis for founding Canada’s oldest independent brewery, Moosehead Brewery in 1867. She faced a multitude of battles including her husband’s untimely death in 1870, and two fires at the brewery. She was credited with running the daily operations as well as being chief brewer (Brewster) until her death in 1886.

Many of us are in business with our husbands – like my friend, Adrian Cotten, co-owner of Pegasus City Brewery. She and her husband, Will, are about to expand in 2020 opening their second branch, a 2 barrel system in the Dallas Power and Light building. They will be the first to serve beer made in the Central Business District neighborhood of downtown Dallas.

Another friend, Misty Sanford and her husband, Karl, will be opening their brewery in October – Manhattan Project Beer Company. They did something completely different by contract brewing to get their product into the marketplace before even having an actual brewery. This is very rare, but totally genius! Talk about paving the way!

One of the coolest chics I know is Betsi Good. Now she is a Brewster. She is currently the Assistant Brewer at Union Bear Brewing Co. in Plano, TX. According to Pink Boots Society (an all-female brewing organization), female brewers represent 4% of brewers. Betsi shared one of her personal bad ass moments with me. Her moment was developing, writing and brewing her first recipe, a SMASH (single malt single hop) IPA that you can find on tap at Union Bear.

Finally, we have my friend Natalie Roberts, co-owner of 903 Brewers in Sherman, TX. She inspired this article a year ago. In August 2018, their canning line malfunctioned. She was fearless and stepped in to fix it – all the while wearing a dress, folks! This is the grit and spunk it takes to keep a business running. Gotta get the beer to the people! (photo featured)

Raise a glass, can, or bottle and give three cheers to these fearless, beautiful, Boss Beer Babes! Stop by Beer Geeks to try these ladies’ spunky brews. We carry 903, Manhattan Project and Pegasus City.

Cheers!

Deidra Rowe, Boss Geek