Summary
Contrary to the gender coding of American advertisements, women do enjoy beer - drinking it, brewing it, talking about it. (And men do dishes!) There are very powerful women in the beer industry. Still, there's no question the business of beer continues to be dominated by men, so PW asked a few local pioneers of the craft beer movement to talk about what it's like to be a women in this man's world. Some of them feel it's difficult; others feel gender is unimportant. Either way, we're glad they're doing what they do: encouraging women and man to drink and drink well.
I have a tendency not to see women as minorities because I know how strong we are. I don't feel inferior to the male gender. Having said that, obviously in the beer industry, especially back in 1985, it was an industry dominated by males. Even today, 28 years later, it's gotten a little bit better, but the industry is really dominated by males, especially because there are still more male drinkers than there are female drinkers. The preponderance is a male audience. The business people are mostly males. I'd be in meetings where there are 20 to 50 people and I'd be the only woman in there. It's gotten a little bit better than that, but I never let it stop me. I'd do what I had to do because I never felt women were inferior in any way to males, and that's a strong belief I have that got me through very graciously.It's great. In the beginning, it was more difficult because beer has been a man's domain as far as American brewmasters and people selling and distributing beer. When I first started, there were even one or two bars in Reading, Pa., that wouldn't allow women in their bar area. They had a room next door. But it's no longer like that. There are 50some female brewers in the United States, a lot of female salespeople selling beer, and the whole craft movement has really helped that. A lot of men beer drinkers appreciate what women bring to the table because everyone tastes differently and males and females taste differently. We do add a lot to the renaissance and the whole beer movement.See the full content of this document
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Contrary to the gender coding of American advertisements, women do enjoy beer - drinking it, brewing it, talking about it. (And men do dishes!) There are very powerful women in the beer industry. Still, there's no question the business of beer continues to be dominated by men, so PW asked a few local pioneers of the craft beer movement to talk about what it's like to be a women in this man'...
See the full content of this document
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