International Women’s Collaboration Brew Day

Women remain underrepresented in the beer industry, especially in production roles like head brewer or brewer.

A 2019 survey of U.S. craft breweries found that only about 7.5% had a woman as the primary brewer, although women are more visible in marketing, taproom, and management positions.

Similar patterns appear elsewhere, with women making up a minority of technical brewing staff even where they are a larger share of the wider beverage workforce.  

Research and industry reports point to several recurring barriers, including bias about physical strength or “technical fit,” limited access to training and brewing education, and workplace cultures that can tolerate harassment or dismissive attitudes.

Women also report being overlooked for promotions into production and leadership roles, and say networking opportunities and mentorship often flow through informal, male-dominated social circles.  

For much of history, brewing was considered women’s work in many societies.

Medieval European “alewives” brewed beer at home and sold it locally, while women in parts of Africa, South America, and Asia have long brewed traditional beers such as sorghum, millet, or chicha for household use and ceremonies.

Over time, industrialization and commercial brewing shifted production into larger, male-dominated breweries, which obscured the central role women once played in everyday beer making.  

Collaborative brew days can build both technical and professional skills.

Participants get hands-on practice with recipe design, raw material selection, mashing, boiling, fermentation management, and quality checks.

They also learn project planning, communication in a production environment, safety procedures, record-keeping, and how to engage customers with beer storytelling.

These sessions often double as informal mentoring, where newer brewers can ask questions and observe experienced professionals at work.  

Organizations such as the Pink Boots Society focus on education, networking, and visibility.

They provide scholarships for brewing and sensory training, organize collaboration brew days that fund those scholarships, and host seminars and conferences where women and non-binary professionals can share knowledge.

These networks also make it easier to find mentors, job leads, and peer support, which can be critical for people who may be the only woman on a brewery’s production team.  

There is no inherent difference in beer quality or style based on the brewer’s gender.

Taste, aroma, and appearance are determined by ingredients, process control, and technical decisions, not by who operates the equipment.

Some women-led teams choose recipes that tell a story about identity or community, but sensory outcomes are driven by brewing skill and recipe design rather than gender.  

Pairing brewing with fundraising allows participants to link their professional craft with concrete social impact.

Beer events can draw large, engaged audiences, making them useful platforms to highlight issues such as education access, health care, gender-based violence prevention, or career development for women and girls.

By dedicating a portion of sales or event proceeds, breweries turn a commercial product into a recurring source of support for local and international organizations working on these issues.