Los Angeles Women in Beer Collaborate with Local Breweries To Spotlight Female Professionals in the Brewing Industry & Raise Funds for Nonprofit Pink Boots Society
Pink Boots Society aims to assist, inspire and encourage women in the fermented / alcoholic beverage industry to advance their careers through education.
Los Angeles, CA – Pink Boots Society’s Los Angeles Chapter announces their 2021 Collaboration Brews, an annual event spotlighting women in the brewing industry and in partnership with local breweries to create and release a beer supporting the nonprofit, which focuses on developing educational programs and fundraising for scholarships to assist women (those who identify as female, cis, trans, and non-binary individuals) further their careers in the alcohol industry. For the fourth year in a row, starting in March on International Women’s Day, women in the brewing industry around the globe come together, collaborate and release beers in support of the Pink Boots Society while using Yakima Chief Hops’ special Pink Boots Hop Blend. A percentage of proceeds from each release is donated to the local chapter to fundraise for educational events and scholarships.
The Pink Boots Yakima Chief Hop Blend includes Cashmere, Ahtanum®, Citra®, Loral® and Sabro® hops and purchases from each sale are donated to the nonprofit. Malt was also donated to two of the participating breweries – Trademark Brewing and Highland Park Brewery – by Admiral Maltings out of Alameda, CA.
This year, Trademark Brewing in Long Beach was the host brewery and brewed a Hoppy Pale Ale titled “All Dolled Up,” which is now available for purchase at the taproom. The artwork was also designed by Pink Boots LA Cabinet Member Kelly Erickson of Craft Media Solutions. Due to Covid, Pink Boots Los Angeles livestreamed the event on Instagram versus hosting an in-person event so all members were able to be part of it virtually.
In regards to the “All Dolled Up” Pale Ale, “The inspiration for the beer came from my own personal experience being a brewer, says Trademark’s Head Brewer Valerie Hicks. “As a female brewer, I often get stereotyped for my appearance given it’s physical labor every single day and I have certain attire for safety reasons like overalls, boots and so on. I wanted to bring light to the assumption that just because I may have a job and wear certain attire that most may assume is more ‘male-centric’ doesn’t mean I’m not feminine nor like to dress up for the occasion. I hope this helps challenge those gender norms vs. having that initial assumption and judgement based on how we may look. Because women brew delicious beer and who says a female brewer can’t get all dolled up?!”
This week, Golden Road Brewing also premiered their Pink Boots beer, “All Pale the Queen,” a refreshing pale ale with pineapple, ginger and lime, which will be available at Golden Road pubs.
“This year’s International Women’s Day brew day was definitely a little different than in years past,” Stephanie Gebhardt, Head Brewer at Golden Road Brewing. “We came together safely, mostly remotely, to plan and execute the brew and ended up with a really tropical beer, made with pineapple, ginger, and lime which really compliment the 2021 Pink Boots Hop blend.”
This past week, Frogtown Brewery released their Pink Boots brew, “All Places” Pale Ale, in honor of the late Ruth Bader Ginsberg in reference to her well-known quote, “Women belong in all places where decisions are being made. It shouldn’t be that women are the exception.”
“It’s our third year brewing a Pink Boots Collaboration beer at Frogtown Brewery,” says Frogtown’s General Manager and Pink Boots LA Treasurer Mallory Jackson. “This year our team of six women decided to create a crushable, hop-forward tropical pale ale that we double dry hopped using the Pink Boots Blend. The name of the beer, ‘All Places,’ is inspired by Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s quote. When she passed away last year I felt the urge to do something to pay homage to the badass woman who helped pave the way for women everywhere to have a place at the table. It was also great working with graphic designer Kate Eglen to bring this idea to life with our label artwork.” – Mallory Jackson, General Manager at Frogtown Brewery.
Recently, Highland Park Brewery participated in their very first Pink Boots Collaboration Brew Day led by Assistant General Manager and Pink Boots Board Director Blanca Quintero who worked with the brewery’s co-owner Tiffany Kunz on the recipe, design and name “Mas Chingona,” which is spanish for a badass woman who chooses to live her life by her own terms.
Quintero says, “‘Mas Chingona’ is a great representation of where our brewery is today.”
The women of Highland Park Brewery crack open a can of Mas Chingonas in celebration of the release!
There are now over 380 breweries worldwide registered for the Collaboration Brew Day. In Los Angeles, participating breweries also include: Brewjeria Company, Claremont Craft Ales, Feathered Serpent Brewery, Golden Road Brewing, Indie Brewing, Poseidon Brewing Co. and Tarantula Hill Brewing Co. Each brewery hosts their own brew day and releases a beer to the public with a portion of proceeds donated to the Los Angeles Chapter.
For a map of registered breweries located around the world, visit this map at https://www.pinkbootssociety.org/pink-boots-brew
For more information about the beer releases and the Pink Boots Los Angeles Chapter please email pbsla@pinkbootssociety.org.
All of the 2021 Los Angeles Releases:
- Brewjeria Company: Step Into Power Elderberry Pale Ale (5.2% ABV)
- Claremont Craft Ales: That’s Rad West Coast Pale Ale (5.0% ABV)
- Frogtown Brewery: All Places Pale Ale (5.5% ABV)
- Feathered Serpent Brewery: IXTA Ale (5% ABV)
- Golden Road Brewing: All Pale the Queen Pale Ale (5.5% ABV)
- Highland Park Brewery: Mas Chingona IPA (7% ABV)
- Indie Brewing: Squad Juicy Double IPA (8% ABV)
- Poseidon Brewing Co.: Siren’s Kiss IPA (7.1% ABV)
- Tarantula Hill Brewing Co.: So Sawft N’ IPA (7.2% ABV)
- Trademark Brewing: All Dolled Up Hoppy Pale Ale (5.5% ABV)
About Pink Boots Society & the Los Angeles Chapter
The Pink Boots Society is a nonprofit organization created to assist, inspire and encourage women in the fermented / alcoholic beverage industry to advance their careers through education. Founded in 2007, Pink Boots Society was inspired by Teri Fahrendorf while on a cross-country trip after leaving her position as head brewer at Steelhead in Eugene, Oregon. Teri wanted to learn about the differences in regional brewing so she grabbed her pink rubber boots, started connecting with female brewers during the journey and blogged about her experiences. After visiting 70 breweries and participating in 38 brews, she knew something had to be done to connect all these incredible women. Shortly after her trip, the Pink Boots Society was created.
The organization now has over 71 chapters worldwide and offers educational classes, mentorship opportunities, conferences, regional chapter meetups, job resources and a network of female professionals from brewers and packaging specialists to taproom managers and sales representatives.
The Los Angeles Chapter is led by Co-Presidents Lupe Saldana, Retail Manager at Angel City Brewery, and Kim Rice, Head Brewer at Sage Bistro & Brewery. The group works closely with their community to create events that spotlight the female movers and shakers behind the alcohol industry here in LA. The chapter has collaborated on events during LA Beer Week like a Women in Beer Comedy Night hosted at Common Space Brewery with proceeds from ticket sales going back to support the chapter’s efforts to provide educational opportunities for industry professionals and students here locally. The chapter also hosts brew days, panel discussions, brewery and distillery tours and networking events. For the fourth year in a row, Pink Boots Society has teamed up with Yakima Chief Hops to release a seasonal Pink Boots Hops Blend to bring awareness to the organization and women in the brewing industry. The LA Chapter partners with local breweries starting in March during Women’s History Month to create and release a beer while hosting brew days as a chance to work together and learn more about the brewing process. A percentage of the proceeds from each beer then goes back to the organization’s local chapter.
If you’re interested in becoming a member, donating to the nonprofit or would like to get involved, go to https://PinkBootsSociety.org.
Pink Boots LA on Instagram: @PinkBoots.LA
Pink Boots LA on Facebook: Facebook/PinkBootsLA