I started International Women’s Day the way I did last year, only I wasn’t a woman this time, and nothing else about the world was the same.
All over the COVID-marked globe, teams of women were brewing, releasing, and drinking beer for Collaboration Brew Day. The event, held each year on March 8, benefits the Pink Boots Society, an organization that provides resources for women in the beer industry. This year, the women were masked and socially distanced, but the spirit of camaraderie remained strong.
My first stop was at Stoup Brewing, where the women of the Ballard Brewery District gathered for their second annual collaboration brew. It was a stark contrast from last year’s event, when over 30 women from every facet of the industry packed joyfully into Reuben’s Brews on a cold, sunlit morning, wondering, sweetly naive, if this pandemic thing was actually going to impact Seattle. Back then, blissful in our ignorance, we learned each step of the brewing process, mixed and tasted hops, voted on our favorite blend, and enjoyed some celebratory pints. While we drank, I asked my cohorts about the future of women in beer. It was improving, they thought, but everyone had stories of discrimination, harassment, missed opportunities, and worse.
There may be more awareness now, but as recent scandals have underscored, some things—too many things—remain the same. The annual Ballard-brewed beer is called (You Should) Smile More IPA, named for that loaded and loathed male-wielded imperative. This year, of course, we couldn’t see each other’s smiles, but the morning at Stoup was still bright. The sun warmed us as we each waited our turn to heave in malt and take spaced-out tours. At one point, I took out my camera and asked the participating women to gather together for a quick shot, to capture the experience.
I ended the day at Burke-Gilman Brewing Company, where I met a friend I’d only known through Zoom in person for the first time (Julia Astrid Davis, now a brewer there) and caught up with another pal, Rachael Engel, who is head brewster at Bosk Brew Works. The pair are part of a social pod and collaborated on each other’s Pink Boots beers. Davis’ is a 6.9% IPA called Sisters Are Brewing It for Themselves, released on draft last week and sold for 82 cents on the dollar to everyone who is not a man. Engel’s, the 6.4% No Ceilings IPA, also debuted at Bosk late last week.
This year’s Collaboration Brew Day came on the heels of a lot of alone time, bringing a haze of hop-perfumed memories from what feels like a forgotten age. I couldn’t drink, because I was on the final day of some intense healing work: the same kind that led me to realize, last summer, that I am non-binary. But I’ll always be female-adjacent, and the moment of community was its own medicine. I’ll be back soon to share a pint. We’ll all be back.
Words + Photoby Holly Regan