We have come to the end of this series of articles on women in the beer world. We have reached our days, and it is clear that hop lovers are not only men. The craft beer movement is not gendered and there is a very large group of both consumers and women who are at the forefront of production, distribution, marketing or event management projects and craft beer festival juries.
That's why today I want to talk to you about the Pink Boots Society, a non-profit association that promotes the culture of beer and the culture of working women within the sector, and more specifically about the Pink Boots Society Spain, which is the Spanish delegation (known as chapters) of the “women with pink boots”.
For this I have spoken with Lorena Bazán, its charismatic and combative president.
I've had three stages beer-wise. First, we created the Flor de Llúpol premises that combined a shop and a bar with a program of weekly events such as tastings, concerts, exhibitions… We focused on the selection of beer styles (we had around 300 different bottles in store) and on the dissemination of knowledge. We managed to create a very interesting community, most of which also did not know this world. Then they offered me the Barcelona Beer Challenge, which is one of the most important beer competitions in southern Europe. And recently we changed provinces, from Barcelona to Gerona, with a project of itinerant tastings and events oriented towards restoration. That we have to build root. If half of the adult population consumes beer, only 2% consume craft beer. So we are left with all the other part to create community. The typical target for selling beer is male, 30 to 55 years old, with higher education. And there you are leaving out half of the population directly, women. But in addition, I am going to make you a very specific statement: there are many women who believe that they do not like beer, but many times it is because I have found someone to accompany them in discovering it. In my personal project, this worked for me. I was very motivated to receive someone who had no idea about beer at my place. But if they were also women, I was especially motivated! Pink Boots Society was born in 2008 in the United States, focused on promoting the progress of women within the sector, as well as the beer culture among consumers. In 2017, with five other girls we knew from this world, we set out to bring the Pink Boots to Spain. We wanted to bet on that message of disseminating the need for parity in the sector, attracting new professionals (and consumers) and generating a network of contacts. And a few years ago I became the president of the association. Worldwide we are between 2,500 and 3,000, and about 50 members in Spain. It is interesting that Spain was the first country where Pink Boots was developed as a chapter, that is, as an independent organization linked to the main association. The main objective is to make women visible in the brewing world. We want the brewing world to be more inclusive for women, both professionals and consumers. So, rough it, it's an invasion of Pink Boots in factories that open their doors to us. The idea is to get together to make our work visible and make our own beer. The breweries run the production and marketing of these collaborative beers and we spend that day together, always around March 8, in the brewery itself. It's also very interesting, as we try to use the same hop blend for all the collaborative Pink Boots beers around the world. To give you an idea, last year nearly 400 recipes were made! The hops are an officially proprietary blend from our sponsor Yakima Chief Hops, who also donate a portion of the proceeds to the Pink Boots Society scholarship funds. We want the association to be a powerful networking and also help us to train and advance through the association. In Spain we also have external training collaborators (such as the University of Alicante) and an internal platform, where each partner provides their knowledge to the rest.
10 >What do you think about the concept of building a beer community?
And what is the situation of women in this world of beer?
What can you tell us about the Pink Boots Society? And how did the association come about in Spain?
How many female members does Pink Boots have?
What is the main objective of the association?
What is the Collaboration Brew Day about?
What are scholarship funds?
What are the main gender stereotypes you have come across?
There is a very clear stereotype that is the accompanying woman. She accompanies, but she doesn't drink or enjoy the experience as much. There are other cultures where groups of women are formed to go, for example, to a beer festival. It always amuses me when, for example at Belgian beer fairs (which I've been to a lot), I see groups of retired women who have arranged to go together.
Another topic that is still difficult to put aside is that you should not even think of going to a bar to drink a beer alone!
And as a professional, have you encountered more obstacles for being a woman among consumers or among colleagues?
Look, more times on the consumer. I have found surprised faces when seeing that it is a woman who directs a beer tasting. Or curious anecdotes, like people who have come to the store, I have given them advice, they have left without buying and have come back at another time to see if I was not there and I gave them different advice.
Why do you think there are more women in the world of craft beer than in the world of industrial beer?
Because of the nuances and stories that craft beers tell. This beer is alive, it surprises, it transmits values. And it often happens that women connect very quickly with all these values.
And within the craftbeer market, there is a sense of community and women are integrated from the bottom up.
Are there figures for women in the beer world?
As professionals we don't even reach 2%, and many times we don't even get into the statistics. As consumers we are at 30%. But I confess that I trust more in the empirical vision, in the women I see drinking beer.
How can we help give more visibility to women in the sector?
It is always interesting to know what people are behind each project and what values a product has. And there will be a personal choice to choose one beer or another, one project and another.
Finally, what style of craft beer is your favorite?
One of my favorites is the Tripel.For me it is the magical style because it unites tastes: those who think they like only weak beers but in reality it has 8 degrees, those who are fans of IPAs and look for this bitter but refreshing point, it is a long beer, of conversation… I like this style so much that I make a Tripel!
Thank you very much Lorena, for this conversation and for the work you do at Pink Boots Society Spain. Cheers!
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