Do you fancy yourself a brewer? Or just like to kick back with a frothy brew? Either way, you can learn more about local women who make beer and possibly pick up some pointers if you’d like to join them. Promoted as probably one of the most comprehensive panels about women in the beer industry in the Twin Cities, the “Women in Beer” panel, hosted by The Herkimer Pub and Brewery in Minneapolis will feature eight female movers and shakers who will discuss the business of brewing September 17 from 6 to 9 p.m.
The beer business has been a male dominated culture, but more women are leading the charge in this exploding industry as the love for craft beer continues to soar in the United States. At this event some of Minnesota’s most influential women in brewing will discuss the state of the industry for females, both nationally and locally, as part of a spirited panel discussion.
These trailblazers will share their insights into how they broke into a predominately “boys only” club, the challenges they face, whether there’s a glass ceiling and the best ways to break through it. Guests will get a better appreciation of the region’s network of beer women and their important role in the field.
Panelists include:
Deb Loch: Brewer/owner, Urban Growler, St. Paul—The first exclusively female-owned brewery in MN.
Laura Mullin: Co-owner, The Bent Paddle, Duluth, and former Coordinator, MN Craft Brewers Guild.
Kelsi Moffitt: Operations Director, Better Beer Society, Minneapolis, and Co-Leader of Barley’s Angels MN.
Tara Alcure: Upper Midwest Regional Sales Manager, Green Flash Brewing (San Diego) and Co-founder of the Pink Boots Society MN.
Jacquie Berglund: Founder and CEO, Finnegans Beer, Minneapolis—The first brewery in the world to donate 100 percent of their profits toward ending hunger.
Amanda Buhman: Events Coordinator, One Simple Plan, MN Craft Brewers Guild.
Rita Skamser-O’Neil: General Manager & Cicerone Certified Beer Server, The Herkimer Pub and Brewery, Minneapolis
East Coast-based journalist Tara Nurin, a nationally published food and travel writer, women-in-beer columnist, BJCP judge and Certified Beer Server, will moderate the panel. The former TV reporter also co-hosts a TV beer show and is an educator specializing in beer-and-chocolate pairings. She runs New Jersey’s original beer appreciation group for women Beer for Babes and volunteers for the Pink Boots Society.
The panel coincides with a kick-off celebration for the launch of a new Minnesota chapter of the Pink Boots Society (PBS). The mission of PBS is to empower women beer professionals to advance their careers in the beer industry by providing educational workshops and scholarships. Twenty percent of tickets sales will benefit the Pink Boots Society’s Scholarship fund.
Tickets are $30 plus tax and will include beer samples and passed hors d’oeuvres. To purchase tickets, visit the Herkimer website.
The Herkimer Pub & Brewery is located at 2922 Lyndale Avenue South, Minneapolis.
