Growing up a Portland native I have always known I wanted to be in the craft brewing industry. As a woman I dream about a day where the craft brewing industry sees as many female brewery owners as males. My long-term vision is to start a brewery of my own with a female brew master. With this on my mind, I was feeling inspired lately by the hard working women I am around and decided to pick their brains. I was lucky enough to conduct some interviews with some powerful women involved and leading the way in the craft brewing industry.
The most challenging part of being a woman in beer is the “boys club” mentality that we face everyday. “You kind of have to prove yourself,” as Molly Tyler, former Administrative Assistant at Base Camp Brewing Co. puts it. Like most admins, Molly was the glue of Base Camp and did all the grunt work to keep the company going. Not only is it a boy’s club in the brewing industry, but also, female brewers are combatted everyday with struggles of how they function in a brewery. Being a brewer is a very manual job and can be even harder for women.
The industry has seen a shift in the last five years. What used to be a male dominated industry has transitioned and now women fill about fifty percent of positions. Karolyn Simon, Associate Brand Manager for Kona Brewing Company, has been in the industry for 7 years. She has felt the movement. “I don’t think the industry is dominated by males as much anymore… maybe on the brewing and packaging side, but definitely not in the other parts of the business. I have met so many female brewery reps, marketing pros, QA techs, and beyond lately! That shows where we’re going. When society changes I think the industry changes too.”
Karmen Olson, Director of Innovation at Craft Brew Alliance, sums it up very well. “In the last five years there has been a lot of progress. In five years from now, I see the movement continuing. In ten years from now we should expect gender equality. That can’t happen without the influence of men in the industry as well.” We have seen this shift and now it’s time to continue on that momentum and make sure that gender equality seeps into every aspect and role of the craft brewing industry. Whether you’re rinsing kegs, or designing packaging, the main focus is that we all are doing what we love in a community that we love.
For more information on how to get involved in the craft brewing community for women in your city check out the Pink Boots Society.
Story by Austin Foster – BeerInfo’s Portland Craft Beer Writer


The 2019 Indiana Brewers’ Cup marked the 21st edition of the Hoosier State’s premier craft beer showdown, held in July at the Indiana State Fairgrounds’ Farmer’s Coliseum in Indianapolis and drawing a massive lineup of over 1,000 entries from pro and homebrewers across 33 categories like crisp Czech Pilsners, juicy American IPAs, roasty porters, and experimental sours—all blind-judged by BJCP pros for that unbiased hoppy justice. Standouts that year included Sun King Brewery’s Sunlight Cream Ale snagging Best of Show Gold in the Light Lager division, with Guggman Haus Brewing’s Winner’s Milk Jug Milk Stout taking top honors in the Stout category and Daredevil Brewing’s Beautiful Dreams claiming gold in English Brown Ale—medals that sent these Indiana gems flying off taps and into Untappd wishlists. It all wrapped with the electric Indiana Microbrewers Festival at Military Park, where unlimited pours from 100+ breweries, live tunes, and food trucks turned downtown Indy into a beer lover’s utopia for thousands of thirsty fans. If you’re plotting a Midwest beer road trip, dig into 2019’s winners for timeless Hoosier pours like those creamy stouts and balanced ales—cheers to a vintage year that proved Indiana brews punch way above their weight!
Oxford, Ohio(2024) – Breweries from the coast of Kona, Hawaii to the rocky coast of Portland, Maine sent more than 9,000 beers representing over 170 different styles to the 2024 U.S. Open Beer Championship. Today, the U.S. Open Beer Championship announces the medal winners and Grand National Champion.
DALLAS— Andy’s Frozen Custard® and Lakewood Brewing Co. will build the world’s largest beer float at Lakewood on Saturday, June 29 at 1 p.m. using 50 scoops of Andy’s World Famous Frozen Custard, the best-frozen treat in the entire world, and 50 pints – a full keg – of Lakewood’s Temptress, the number one selling craft milk stout in Texas. The previous record was set in February in Ohio using about 20 pints (9 liters) of