A different kind of release got the craft beer industry buzzing this year: not the latest hyped IPA, but a film. Both perennially relevant and of-the-moment, “Girl Beer” premiered to a warm reception, and has been met by a willingness to open up the industry’s gender-equity conversation.
Marena Domingo-Young, a California-based filmmaker, has been hard at work creating “Girl Beer” since 2018. She spent years working in the service industry, particularly at breweries and beer bars, where she witnessed how far-reaching the impact of pervasive sexism among customers could be. As most workers feel they can’t push back too much without endangering the tips they rely on, Domingo-Young decided to tackle gender stereotypes in beer through another medium.
Alongside co-producer Ashley Bales, Domingo-Young interviewed women in beer in Los Angeles, where she lived at the time, picking a title that reclaims the formerly dismissive term. The documentary takes viewers on an expedient journey—from the history of women in beer to the discrimination currently faced by anyone who is not a cisgender, heterosexual white man in the industry—simultaneously debunking stereotypes and exploring the myriad ways women, transgender people, and non-binary people work in and interact with craft beer.
Domingo-Young and her team faced plenty of challenges, especially during the pandemic, making the April 2022 debut of “Girl Beer” all the sweeter. Since then, the film has been screened 16 times in nine states and included in such events as the Women’s Empowerment Brew Day with Maui Brewing Co. and the Pink Boots Society collaboration brew day, held with New Belgium Brewing at Urban Family Brewing Co. in Seattle.
“Every time we screen [the film] to a new audience, we feel so deeply grateful and validated, watching people nod their heads in agreement with something in the film, laugh at our shared experiences, and see themselves represented on screen,” Domingo-Young says. And the impact goes beyond beer: Even those outside the industry recognize these issues as the kind of generalized inequalities women face daily, she adds, and the film is starting the conversations she hoped it would, including encouraging men to be stronger allies.
The momentum won’t slow down in 2023: “Girl Beer” is working with Marz Brewing and Beer Is for Everyone to plan a citywide event series in Chicago promoting women in beer, along with more screenings. The project is open to donations to help its presence grow, and change is sure to follow.
Words,Courtney Iseman