One Woman, Six Beers, A Room Full of Men

On the evening of 18 November, a cold and rainy Tuesday, I wandered into the Cosmos Centre. A dance class was still finishing up, but nearby tables were already laid out and glasses arranged for the Beer Society’s Women in Brewing tasting. As guests trickled in, it became clear that I would be the only woman at this women-centred event. 

Originally, the tasting was meant to run in collaboration with Women in Business, though a last-minute cancellation left Beer Society on its own. Despite the hiccup, they pulled together an impressive lineup of beers, and I ended up learning far more about brewing and its history than I expected.

Luvians’ manager, Archie, was particularly helpful. While re-liscencing issues meant that the event couldn’t take place inside Luvians, the atmosphere still felt authentic and well-organised.

Before any glasses were lifted, we heard a brief talk on the history of women in brewing. For most of human history, brewing was women’s work. The first alcohol-related deity was Ninkasi, the Sumerian goddess of beer, and until the Industrial Revolution, beer-making was considered a domestic task, and therefore fell to women. Only when mass production began, and brewing became more physically intensive and commercial, did it shift into a male-dominated trade. Today, women in brewing are an underrepresented minority, and the goal of the night was to highlight their work.

All the beers we tasted were connected to women in the industry, either through a female founder or head brewer. First on the menu were the darker beers, including The Gloaming from Loch Lomond Brewing as well as Skye Red and Skye Black from the Isle of Skye Brewing Company. We then moved on to the lighter options: Toadlicker Grapefruit IPA and Threads Elderberry Dark Sour from Hand Brew Co. and finally Bonnie & Clyde from Loch Lomond.

Isle of Skye’s head brewer, Pam MacRuary, is recognised as the first female brewer in Scotland, while Loch Lomond is co-owned and co-founded by Fiona MacEachern and her husband, Euan. Hand Brew Co. Head Brewer Kate Hyde is also active in initiatives to bring more women into brewing. I enjoyed tasting the beers, but it was particularly refreshing to know each one was connected to women’s work in the industry.

As someone who rarely opts for the craft-beer option, Archie’s commentary taught me how they get their colour, what influences flavour, how monks popularised the use of hops, and what malt actually is. They certainly tasted better than Tennents.

The group of attendees was small: an eclectic, relatively quiet, all-male bunch of beer enthusiasts. Despite the obvious irony, the women-centred focus felt unexpectedly emphasised. It felt bizarre to sit amongst a room full of men, celebrating women’s contributions to the industry.

Beer Society President Eli Wyland Tatch reflected on the evening’s intentions: “it’s about getting as many people involved as possible and creating a welcoming, low-stakes social environment. We recognised that this is a male-dominated space, and thought it would be cool to get everyone involved.”

Despite being one of the society’s most sparsely attended events, the tasting was well worth my detour through the rain. I felt welcome throughout, and left only wishing I could have seen the event in fuller swing. At a university where women are the majority, it would have been nice to see more of them in the room. As a woman, however, I understand it can sometimes be tricky to step into spaces where our numbers are already low. Beer Society seems to be on the right track by partnering with societies that have more women in their ranks to increase participation. 

Even if the night wasn’t all the society had hoped for, the Women in Brewing tasting was a charming break from my usual routine.

Photo by Maya Dasilva