Women And Craft Beer At Dames And Dregs

By Brenda Wagner


The name Dames and Dregs most likely means nothing to most people. Although, when it comes to female brewers in Atlanta, it means everything. For, that is the name of the first annual women and craft beer festival to take place in the state. The festival, which was a huge success in 2018, hopes to return on an annual basis to highlight beers which have been crafted by female brewers at local and regional brew houses.

The festival, aimed at empowering the female population, presented a number of craft brews created by women along with a community discussion related to business and brewing. In addition, according to one brewer from Atlanta's Second Self Brewery, the event was much different and provided a breath of fresh air compared to other festivals in the area which are organized, promoted and sponsored by a rather bro culture.

Through the formation of a national organization of female brewers known as the Pink Boots Society in 2007, women are now showing the importance of the female presence in the brewing industry. While sixteen members founded the organization, there are now over 2,500 members nationwide. As such, these individuals have made it clear that there is a major interest in brewing and the industry at large.

These female brewers are not only serious about the brewing aspect but also when it comes to naming different brews. For example, one double IPA brewed by two female brewers, one a brewer from New Realm and another from Second Self is that of Sufferin Till Sufferage. While this is only one example, there are a number of others with interesting titles.

When Coleman first started working at Second Self in 2015, there were very few females working in the industry. Now, more female brewers than ever before are working in local and regional breweries. As a result, Atlanta now has enough female brewers that it has established a local chapter of the Pink Boots Society.

The co-owner of the Porter Beer Bar in Atlanta has over eight hundred beers available to consumers. For, it is believed the city's lack of a mature craft or microbrewery beer scene has been extremely beneficial to women looking to craft local beers in the city. In most cases, the main choice in bars and restaurants still primarily focuses on corporate products, thus also leading to more opportunities for more females to become involved in the local brewing scene in the area.

A long time dream come true, the Porter Bar which in opened in 2008 was opened with the hopes of attracting as many women as men to the establishment. Although, while hoping more women would acquire a taste for beer, especially those crafted by women, that still seems to be a challenge. While this is the case, the bar does now have a customer base which appears to be an almost equal split among the male and female population.

While challenges still exist, one of the most important is to get more of the female population to at least taste, if not drink, craft and micro-brews. For, while most males are accustomed to drinking corporate brews, females tend to focus more on mixed-drinks and wine. As such, women now working in the industry are working hard to come up with different types of craft beer and associated titles which will garner the interest of the female population, not only in Atlanta but around the world.




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