While marketing people are trying to figure out how to make beer attractive to more women, it seems that in a parallel, hidden world is another perspective that portrays what’s really going on.   Women do like the taste of beer and love to brew it - and brew it well they do.   Welcome the Pink Boots Society.

            Headed by award winning Portland, Oregon craft brewer Teri Fahrendorf, the Pink Boots Society held its inaugural meeting in San Diego last week.  Welcoming “any professional woman brewer, cellar woman, or lab technician, past or present, from any brewery of any size, anywhere in the world,” the call was attended by 22 brewsters and other women in the brewing community.  Their “voting” ranks have swelled to 61 U.S. members and 49 International members.  Look for developments at www.pinkbootssociety.com

            Of the women brewsters I know, they rock.  Not only are they extraordinarily knowledgeable and passionate, but they are not surprisingly capable of consistently making and being involved with award winning beer.

            Shortly after their first meeting, member Tonya Cornett, brewmaster of the Bend Brewing Company, Bend, Oregon won the “Small Champion Brewpub and Brewmaster Award” at the 2008 World Beer Cup.  A first and ground breaking achievement for the women of beer and the credit they deserve. 

            On the other side of this glass of beer is to consider why some women love beer and others don’t.  I think the population at large has it right.  When the option is only an American light lager style of brew and there is little awareness of craft beer alternatives, women are likely to choose an even lighter beer (falsely assuming that they are saving on calories) or a fruited beverage that might resemble beer.   But from my consistent observations, it seems that I rarely seem to hang out with the women belonging to the population at large.   Women anywhere near sniffing distance of a craft beer respect its full flavor and diversity just as much as their male counterparts.    Brewing beers designed for women?  That in my opinion is an absolutely absurd idea. 

            I once observed a young woman at the Great American Beer Festival questing for dark porters and stouts.  She said she used to just drink light American-style lager without thinking about it.   I asked her why she switched from drinking light beer to robust dark fully flavored porters and stouts.  She paused for a millisecond, smiled and confidently revealed, “I guess I just grew up.”   I suppose that says it all.

What’s my beer?  Yesterday at 5 p.m. I poured a round of homebrew for my wife and the lingering crew who have been putting the finishing touches on our new (soon to be named) pub/lounge/taproom.  The beer? - My homebrewed Jokester Mild English-style ale.   Brewed earlier this year from pale English malts and small amount of dark malts, including caramel (like the syrup) malt, fresh baked cookie-like aromatic malt and an exotic malt called “Special B” from Belgian, contributing a toffee/raisin-like complexity. Refreshing at less than 4% a.b.v. (alcohol by volume), I reach for this one when I want to quench a tired thirst yet have other stuff to do in the evening.  Thirst quenchingly hoppy, and with the assertive authentic earthy aroma of English countryside grown Kent Golding hops.  I also add a subtle amount of Brazilian rapadura dried sugar cane juice/sugar – lending a hint of molasses.

            Though I’m heading for London in about a weeks time, I don’t have to go far for a pint of English tradition.  It doesn’t get better than this, until tomorrow.