The WIBS ’22 team have put together a truly remarkable line up of speakers spanning the globe. From North America, to Argentina, across to Ireland & the UK, down to Africa and all the way across to New Zealand. The diversity of voices, stories, experiences and backgrounds on offer at the summit are a testament to human connection through fermented beverages that spans the world over.
Herz (pronounced opposite of "his") is the Executive Director of the American Homebrewers Association and has more than two decades of experience in beer. She is a speaker, beer educator, an award-winning homebrewer, a BJCP certified beer judge, an Advanced Cicerone®, and author. She specializes in cause-based marketing, including the Gray For Good – For All Womanhood campaign. She also happens to love beer.
Denise Jones is a Technical Sales Support Manager for Fermentis – Americas – Distilling. She joined Fermentis in October of 2020. She has 27 years of brewing and distilling experience and has served as an international beer judge for over 20 years.
Denise attended the American Brewer’s Guild in Spring of 1995 and has created award winning beers for Great Basin Brewing Company in Sparks, Nevada, Third Street Aleworks in Santa Rosa, California, and Moylan’s Brewing Company in Novato, California. At Moylan’s, she began making whiskey washes for the sister distillery, Moylan’s Distilling, where she developed flavorful washes, assisted with distillations and barrel maturation decisions. In 2015 she accepted a position in Bamberg, Germany with Weyermann® Specialty Malts to become their Master Distiller/ Staff Brew Master, where she produced whiskeys, gins, bier schnapps and fruit brandies. Denise now lives and is based in the USA.
Esthela Davila is San Diego born and raised. She is a first generation Mexican-American. Esthela got her start in beer helping run beer festivals. She was later approached to join The Indie Beer Show podcast which was a San Diego fixture for over 4 years.
She then went on to help co-found and host Mujeres Brew Club. This club was started to help teach and empower women, specifically women of color, about independent craft beer. When the pandemic hit, the club had to pivot and they were presented with the opportunity to open their own brewery. Mujeres Brew House was born! Mujeres Brew House is the only completely female run brewery in San Diego! The brewery is also in the neighborhood Esthela grew up in, Barrio Logan. She is passionate about helping women in craft beer and infusing her Mexican culture into their beer styles!
Natalie Rose Baldwin is the Research & Development Brewer at Breakside Brewery in Portland, OR., and has been brewing for seven years. She started in the industry pouring beer and washing kegs, quickly learning to brew at Burnside Brewing in the fall of 2014. In early 2017 Baldwin was hired as a Production Brewer at Breakside Brewery and later that year was promoted to Breakside's Research and Development Brewer. Natalie's brewing interests vary from traditional European beers, with a predominant focus on German lagers, French style saisons and specialty beers using seasonal flowers, tea , spices, and fruit. Natalie has won several medals at the Great American Beer Festival and is also a professional Judge at the same festival, works with the Oregon Brewers Guild Diversity and Equity Committee, Breakside's Diversity and Equity Committee, Pink Boots Portland Chapter Co-Leader and was a recipient of a Pink Boots Scholarship in 2018. Outside of work she enjoys backpacking, baking, and frockling in fields of flowers with her dog Beef.
I am originally from Chicago IL. I studied food science at California polytechnic state university in San Luis Obispo CA. I got my start home brewing beer, cider, kombucha and wine by using fruit scavenged from neighbors trees with my friends in a garage. During college I interned at Firestone Walker Brewing Co and fell in love with the craft. I took a detour in wine to work harvest 2019 in Paso Robles CA. For the last two years I’ve been helping to build up the San Diego location of athletic brewing co. I got my start here in the lab as a technician and have worked my way up to lab lead and now lab supervisor. I love Lego flowers, farmers markets, pottery, going for long walks and checking out all the breweries and coffee shops San Diego has to offer!
Jen Blair is an Advanced Cicerone and National BJCP Beer Judge. She co-hosts a brewing podcast called False Bottomed Girls. Jen is serving her second elected term on the American Homebrewers Association Governing Committee, where she serves as the Industry Subcommittee Chair. Jen was selected as a mentor for the Brewers Association Mentoring Program and also serves as a mentor for the Road to 100 Cicerone program.
Tara Nurin is the author of “A Woman’s Place Is in the Brewhouse: Forgotten History of Alewives, Brewsters, Witches, and CEO’s”. Tara is also the beer and spirits contributor to Forbes and an adjunct Beer 101 instructor at Wilmington University. The former major-market TV news reporter has been the Libations columnist for New Jersey Monthly, the women-in-beer columnist for Ale Street News, and the cohost of the What's on Tap weekly beer TV show. Her work has been published in more than fifty newspapers, magazines, and digital platforms such as Food + Wine, USA Today, and Wine Enthusiast. She is certified by the Beer Judge Certification Program and serves as a frequent expert and host in the media and in educational programming. She lives outside of Philadelphia, PA.
Born in New Jersey to a flight attendant and traveling salesman, Cara got the travel bug early in life. After highschool she pursued a degree in Environmental Studies at University of Hawai’i at Manoa where she volunteered for non-profits as much as she could between hiking the island's many trails. After school she moved to Oregon and landed a job as a wildland firefighter and wilderness EMT, a seasonal position that afforded the opportunity to travel to different parts (and sampling all the beers) of the world each winter. Family brought her back to NJ in 2018 where she secured her first position in the beer industry as a beer server, which quickly transitioned to a cellar position where she felt at home- doing manual labor as part of a team. In early 2020 when the world was shutting down, she moved cross country to San Diego with her partner for a brewing position with Athletic Brewing Company. She developed a love and appreciation for non-alcoholic beer as it vastly improved her mental and physical health. Recently she transitioned from brewing to her new role as manager of B Corp and Two for the Trails, which combines all of her favorite things: beer, environmental stewardship, volunteer work, and hiking. Ask her about her dog Charlie.
My name is Tas and I am a Canadian cider content creator and reviewer located in Ontario. I am the founder of @girlwithaciderreview on Instagram where I share my reviews of ciders across Canada, host contests and more. I started my Instagram in February 2018 and since have been able to taste ciders from Ontario as well as the East and West Coast of the country as well as some international favs, network with other professionals and share my love of cider. I am the creator of the #noappleogies movement aimed at creating safe online and physical spaces, empowering women, and educating on diversity, gender-based violence and mental health. I currently also host chats with cider professionals on my IGTV show Cider & Life (#ciderandlife). I am also the Canadian Cider representative for the popular cider blog @ciderscene, which posts about ciders across the U.S. and Canada and shares articles about Canadian cideries and beverages!
Betsy Lay is the co-founder and owner of Lady Justice Brewing in Aurora, CO. She began her career working in education-based non-profits, including serving two terms as an AmeriCorps VISTA, where she met Kate Power and Jen Cuesta. Together in 2014, the three friends founded the philanthropic Lady Justice Brewing Company. She holds a certificate from the Siebel Institute of Technology's Concise Course in Brewing Technology and also earned a Master in Theological Studies from Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University. In her time off from the brewery, Betsy can be found with a good whiskey, a good book, and a good dog.
Dr. Christina Wade holds a PhD in History from Trinity College Dublin. She has spent the better part of the last decade researching beer history in Ireland and abroad. Currently, Wade is serving as one of the Chicago Brewseum’s League of Historians. She has written numerous articles and book chapters about medieval Irish history, and beer history in Ireland, for publication in both academic and non-academic works. Additionally, she has written extensively about beer history on her own blog, Braciatrix.com. In 2013, she founded the Ladies Craft Beer Society of Ireland, which now has over 1,300 members from all over the world. She is also resident historian, audio editor, and co-host of the Beer Ladies Podcast; and she is also a Certified BJCP Beer Judge.
Lee Hedgmon, Founder of The Barreled Bee, Distiller for Freeland Spirits and brewer. I started homebrewing and winemaking as a hobby while attending grad school in Minneapolis, MN. I moved back to Portland, OR to teach and finish my degree before decigin that I wanted to make beer for a living. After brewing for a few years, I got a job as a distiller for McMenamins before moving to the women-owned and operated distillery, Freeland Spirits. I started my business in 2017, inspired by both my love for honey and meads and my current career. I'm a hobbyist beekeeper and I love making all sorts of fermented beverages. When I'm not working or running a business, I'm home watching tv, playing with my two kitties, Diva and Magellan. "
My name is Robyn Schumacher and I am a Brewer and Co-Owner at Stoup Brewing. We are a member of the vibrant Ballard Brewing District located in Seattle, Washington. We have been open since 2013 and just opended a second taproom and restaurant in Kenmore, Washington. In my previous life I was a high school science teacher for 13 years. In 2012, I became the first women to become a Certified Cicerone in the state of Washington. My passions lie in brewing delicious beer and improving the craft beer world by encouraging a diverse and dynamic workforce.
Grounded in the spirit of Charles Hamilton Houston’s adage that a lawyer is either a social engineer or a social parasite, Atinuke “Tinu” Akintola Diver grounds her creative, legal, and community practices in ways that seek to build and regenerate, rather than to purely extract and exploit. A first-generation American and daughter of Nigerian immigrants, Tinu was born in Boston, Massachusetts, raised in Prince George’s County, Maryland and currently resides in Raleigh, North Carolina. She’s a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University. She is the recipient of numerous grants from the Southern Documentary Fund, United Arts Council, Cucalorus and the North Carolina Film Office.
Tinu co-directed the film documentary short QUILT JOURNEYS which premiered at the Blackstar Film Festival and screened at Alice Fest, the Carrboro Film Festival, the Hayti Heritage Film Festival, the River Run Film Festival, the Longleaf Film Festival and BEYOND:The Cary Film Festival. She also co-produced the audio documentary short, MASTERPIECE, and directed and produced the film documentary short 98 which premiered at the Carrboro Film Festival. Tinu is currently producing and directing her first feature-length documentary, THIS BELONGS TO US, which was selected for the Working Films/Cucalorus Works-in-Progress Lab and also screened as part of the 2021 Sundance Film Festival’s Carolina Works-In-Progress.
Megan Stone’s (they/them/their pronouns) career in beer began as a server at the original Dogfish Head brew pub in Rehoboth Beach, DE. An orientation day (brewery tour) turned a passion for beer into an unquenchable thirst for knowledge surrounding the production process. Megan brewed their first beer ever at DFH in a competition and interned at a small local brewery before making their way west to brew for several other breweries, consult, and even collaborate around the world (Panamá + England). During their time in the UK Megan launched an apprenticeship program with Laine Brew Co for marginalized communities within beer.
When Megan wasn’t nose deep in books about beer, they spent their time teaching themselves the ins and outs of social media marketing. Their Instagram account grew rapidly, displaying content surrounding their beer and brewing knowledge, travels, and often advocating for equity, inclusion and justice. Megan began consulting, and eventually traded in their Zahm for a Canon, taking a professional marketing job with Societe Brewing Company. Since then Megan has also conquered TikTok (65k in a few months), and is currently working on launching a non-profit focusing on building community and providing safe spaces for queer women, transgender, and GNC humans.
They were named a 2021 Signifier for Good Beer Hunting, “Person of the Year” (2020) by CBMA, co-hosted Hop Culture’s Queer Beer Festival, and have been featured in many publications (including San Diego Magazine, Uproxx, Adweek, etc) for their social media presence, DEI efforts, and/or beer/brewing skills.
Sarah Flora is a Los Angeles-based homebrewer who wants to be the next Martha Stewart (pre-2004) of brewing. Two years ago, Sarah purchased a homebrew kit as a gift for her husband, but little did she know it would become her new hobby and the start of her next career. Running operations for an art gallery by day, on her days off she’s brewing and documenting every stage while reviewing her brews in the process. Since, she’s won numerous awards for her beers, grown an engaged following on Instagram and YouTube, and received press coverage nationwide. As she continues to share her passion for homebrewing, Sarah is also planning to open up her own brewery in Washington state.
Jen’s appreciation for beer grew from experiencing it with her Dad. From first sip, she was hooked and has since decided to pursue her passion. She launched the Atlanta Beer Boutique in 2011 as a beer blog that evolved into a private events company that focused on education through experiential learning. Jen worked to open a brick-and-mortar location, but COVID-19 derailed the project, and she was forced to close The Atlanta Beer Boutique before opening to the public. Despite this setback, she pivoted and founded Crafted for Action, a beer-centric events company that creates community by curating experiences that are unique, inclusive and welcome to all.
CraftBeerCon is the annual signature event that offers educational experiences for the full spectrum of craft beer lovers. The American craft beer scene lacks diversity. CraftBeerCon seeks to address this issue through a variety of panelists and non-traditional topics that cater to beer enthusiasts, influencers, and the beer-curious. Jen is also co-founder of Craft Women Connect, an organization created to educate, empower, and promote unity among beer professionals and women within the craft beer community. Jen is a Cicerone Certified Beer Server and the author of “The Chick’s Guide to Beer: 7 Simple Rules for the Beer Novice.”
My love of plants and natural curiosity led me to the art of fermentation. It first started with sourdough experiments, then the gift of a SCOBY led to a lacto-fermentation playground in my kitchen. From there, this newly discovered love of microbes motivated me to purchase my first homebrew kit. Driven by this newfound passion, I obtained my first brewery position and eventually found myself as a head brewer for another local brewery. Fate brought the two Laurens into my life a few years later and now the journey of opening a brewery of our own is underway.
After earning a degree in Economics, I quickly found the office life wasn't for me. I started working in the wine industry, which in turn led me to beer, and I never looked back. I spent 5 years managing and growing another local microbrewery and eventually realized I wanted to start something of my own. Finding my business partners and the unique fermentation backgrounds they both had, quickly convinced me that this new venture was the perfect next step.
Born and raised in the southeast, I earned a degree in Medical Equipment Sales from UAB. After my bachelors degree, I decided to apply to the Master Brewers Program at UC Davis with the intent to eventually start my own brewery. After several years working in the cellar and as a brewer at local Sacramento establishments, I found the perfect team to see my dreams to fruition.
Jesse Bussard is the Executive Director of the Craft Maltsters Guild. Previous to her work with the Guild, Jesse worked as an independent writer for over a decade covering topics related to craft beer, agriculture, and conservation. Additionally, during her previous tenure living in Montana, she co-founded and organized some of the state’s best craft beer events including Bozeman Craft Beer Week, Beer Maven: A Women’s Beer Education Series, the Montana Brewers Conference, and Montana Funk Fest, which was the state’s first sour beer and kombucha festival. Jesse is currently a member of Pink Boots Society and the North American Guild of Beer Writers. Outside of work, she enjoys reading, exploring the outdoors, and spending time with her faithful sidekick and Boxer dog, Budro. They currently reside in central Pennsylvania.
Hannah Turner has been involved in plant science research for the past decade, receiving both bachelor’s and Masters’s distinctions, and has acted as Director of the Montana State University Barley, Malt & Brewing Quality Lab since 2016. Hannah’s research career began with the investigation of the pathways leading to starch production in plants while her current role revolves around malting and making grain starch accessible for the brewing and distilling process. MSU’s Barley, Malt & Brewing Quality Lab performs both research and service, providing data for the Universities’ Barley Breeding Program and industry members across the barley value network. Research focuses include innovative projects such as improved barley for craft malting, barley and malt flavor, and improved throughput analysis for breeding program selection. Hannah works closely with the American Society of Brewing Chemist’s Technical Committee, leading the Malt Subcommittee which works to develop and streamline methodologies for malt quality analysis. Hannah also serves as chair for the Guild’s Technical Committee, which develops educational and practical tools for the industry. When not in the lab, Hannah spends time enjoying Montana with her husband and three-year-old.
John Palmer is the author of How To Brew and co-author of Water, and Brewing Classic Styles. He is a metallurgical engineer by trade, but has been brewing and judging beer for over 30 years. He is the Editor for the Master Brewers Association and an invited speaker all over the world.
Jessi Flynn is the Managing Director and Head Brewer of Kweza Craft Brewery, the first female led craft brewery in Rwanda (the first craft brewery at all in the country!). A landscape architect by trade, Jessi moved to Rwanda in 2017 to design and build RICA (Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture) and other projects, while homebrewing to provide herself a source of good beer. She was put in touch with Beau’s Brewery in Canada in 2018, who had started the Kweza initiative. She led supply line research, regulations and location design, and a business plan. In October, 2019 she transitioned full time to the brewery to get it off the ground. Jessi’s background in community development, international agriculture, botany, and homebrewing has provided a perspective to push the concept of a brewery based on local agricultural products and vegetation - from sorghum grains and native fruits to alternative hopping; to how to engage local cooperatives in supply chains; to engaging women in brewing at a commercial level. Kweza was licensed to operate in July 2021, and has been selling out of pilot batches 6 months in advance while they work on getting a larger facility set up for 2022.
Emily Lovato is the Business Development and Technical Sales Manager at Five Star Chemicals. As a 12 year veteran at Five Star, Emily has established herself in the industry as an expert in cleaning and sanitizing as well as providing technical guidance and training to customers and professionals. Emily has a true passion for the people and culture within the craft beverage market and hopes to continue to support it in any way she can.
Ariel is a Los Angeles-based entrepreneur, a leading employment lawyer and an advocate for greater equality, safety, and transparency in the workplace. His passion for equality led him to create #NotMe: an app and AI-powered platform that gives all employees a safe, unbiased way to report workplace misconduct, while guiding employers to take swift and appropriate action.
Ariel has trained hundreds of employees on the subjects of sexual harassment, discrimination and bullying. After fifteen years handling a litany of cases involving harassment and discrimination and watching instances of workplace misconduct constantly repeat themselves, Ariel realized that corporate America was in need of a major paradigm shift. As the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements continue to steamroll through the collective consciousness of America, Ariel, along with a team of high-profile advisors, found himself in a unique position to help turn these movements into action, thus he created #NotMe
Ariel has a vision of a world in which his own children will inherit a workplace environment that is safe and equal, allowing them to freely thrive while accomplishing their own dreams.
Co-founder of Little Pomona, Susanna Forbes is author of The Cider Insider and one of the founders of Cider Women, the pan-industry group designed to empower and inspire women involved in all facets of cider. Based in Herefordshire, UK, Susanna is an award-winning beer journalist with an editorial background in wine. In 2021, CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale), awarded Susanna its highest cider and perry accolade, the Pomona award. Little Pomona is now available in the USA thanks to Anxo Imports.
Co-owner and chief cider evangelist at Tilted Shed, Ellen Cavalli helps with the cidermaking work and managing the farm. A longtime book and magazine editor, Ellen was named as "one of seven women moving American cider forward" by Wine Enthusiast magazine, Ellen is an 2019 inductee into the Heritage Radio Hall of Fame for her work devoted to advancing cider in America. She is also the project manager for Sonoma County Farm Trails.
GM of Thorn Brewing Co. Director of San Diego Brewers Guild. Slow Beer Chair of Slow Food Urban San Diego.
Las Vegan Ashlie Niquel Randolph is a founding member of Mo' Betta Brews, a minority-focused beer-centric social club created to provide an inclusive space for craft beer enthusiasts of color rooted in brews and beats full of flavor, soul, and craft. Seeing beer as anthropology in a glass, Ashlie is passionate about exploring craft beers throughout the world and incorporating global culinary legacies in her own brews. Ashlie is the founder of brewery-in-planning, Brawta Brewing. She is also a Duvel USA Brand Ambassador, Pink Boots Society Board Member, NAACP Branch #1111 Executive Committee Member/Economic Development Committee Chair, and proud co-founder of Lifting Lucy.
Marcus Baskerville, 37, was born and raised in Rancho Cordova, California. He is a father of 2 young girls and a self claimed chef at home. He started homebrewing from a sibling rivalry competition with his older brother, Everett. Upon taking a promotion in San Antonio TX, Marcus took more interest into homebrewing. After gaining more confidence due to trial and error, he was noticing he would rather drink his own beer versus what he found on store shelves. He started donating beer to local places around town for tap takeovers & quickly received an offer from another local brewery where he met now Co-Owner Mike Holt.
Marcus has received several accolades while operating Weathered Souls Brewing Co. such as San Antonio’s Brewery of the Year twice, 2019 Best 33 Stouts in the World, Wine Enthusiast’s 40 under 40 Top Taste Makers in 2020, Craft Beer & Brewing 2020’s Break Out Brewer , 2020 Best Brewery in The US, 2021 top 20 beers by Hop Culture and many others. In 2020, he created the world wide initiative called Black Is Beautiful, a cause supporting equality and inclusion through a collaborative effort. Black Is Beautiful has garnered the attention from CNN, The New York Times, Forbes, NPR and many others. Black is Beautiful was recently inducted into the Martin Luther King JR Library in DC and the Smithsonian and will be featured in 616 Walmart stores nationwide in 2022.
Tranice Watts is a co-founder of Lifting Lucy, a nonprofit organization
dedicated to supporting Black, Indigenous, and other Women of Color
(BIWOC) to have true representation and economic participation in the
brewing industry. She is also a co-owner of Patuxent Brewing Company, in
Waldorf, MD - the first craft brewery within Charles County, and one of the
only 100% Black-owned breweries in the state of Maryland.
Ms. Watts is a member of the Greater Maryland Chapter of Pink Boots
Society; the Brewers Association’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI)
Education Subcommittee; and the Craft Brewers Conference’s Seminar
Subcommittee. Additionally, she was appointed in 2021, as co-chair of the
Charles County Economic Development Advisory Board’s Business
Outreach Council. Prior to her current responsibilities, Ms. Watts was
special assistant to Dr. Robert W. Corell, who won the peace prize along
with Al Gore and others at IPCC for their environmental science work.
Sarah Perez has been in the craft beer industry for over 14 years now. She started building towards her goals by helping women understand the forces behind the making of beer. She started in Vegas, with groups of women who wanted to be immersed in the educational aspects of the Cicerone lifestyle. She would love nothing more than to teach sensory and collaborate with all the breweries she visits. She loves to talk about beer and brewing, it is as if that is all she thinks about. She turned her sights on brewing professionally 4 years ago and has never wavered from this path. Her passion to create a space for all females/female-identifying to feel comfortable on that brew deck is all she can think about now. She is paving the pathway for so many more passionate like-minded women and women-identifying just like her.
Angi Thomas is a Dallas, Texas native who has worked in the telecommunications with AT&T for the last 24 years. Her secondary occupation is now her focus into the fermentation industry.
Angi has been a consultant in Branding and Sales for Maximum Beverage, Pourtastic, Flow Wine Group, Dragon Spirits Marketing, and more. She has stayed on demand for the last eight years for companies such as Heineken, Yuengling, Revolver, Constellation, Sugarland, etc. Angi also started her IG/Facebook channel The Undeniable Vixen. The scope is to never deny yourself trying new things. You should always take the leap and be undeniable. She has had Beer 101 classes for BIWOC that are novice drinkers and don’t want to go to the brewery alone. That random call of the HOP has ignited her devotion and continued effort to concentrate her knowledge to BIPOC as the market is changing for the needed and desired inclusion.
Angi has proclaimed herself as an official Craft Beer slinger in Sales/Marketing. Angi has earned her Cicerone Certified Beer Server during the pandemic and currently working toward her BJCP credentials. She also helps with facilitating a weekly chat on the Clubhouse app. called Being Black in Craft.
These conversations echo why we must illuminate the need for involvement for all in the Beer industry across the United States and abroad. Angi fulfills a roll as Co-Chair leadership to Pink Boots North Texas for almost two years. She's an avid traveler and commits to seeing crystal clear water at least once a year.
She’s an unabashed Star Wars nerd she reads multiple books at a time as well as being a podcast junkie. Angi continues to curate experiences with art, all things fermentation, and travel. She is always on the quest for the best Craft Beer all over the world.
Apiwe Nxusani Mawela -The Brewster (37), is one of the most passionate female brewers the African brewing industry has seen in recent years. Born and raised in a small village on Butterworth in South Africa, Apiwe was first intrigued by the science of beer making when she visited an open day at a university during her high school days. After high school she went and completed a BSc degree from Wits University and then Honours majoring in Microbiology from University of Pretoria. Apiwe joined SAB Ltd in 2006 through the company’s graduate recruitment programme and underwent an intensive 18 months’ traineeship to attain status of ‘Brewer’ while completing the Diploma in Brewing qualifications through the Institute of Brewing and Distilling. In 2010, Apiwe became the first person in South Africa to complete the National Diploma in Clear Fermented Beverages (NQF 6) through the FoodBev SETA and Institute of Brewing – Africa Section.
Apiwe worked for SABMiller holding different positions within the company from 2006 until she left in 2014 to join Brewhogs Microbrewery as Managing Director and BrewMaster. Her passion for brewing saw Apiwe starts her own company Brewsters Craft in 2015 to offer training and consultation services within the craft brewing industry. Brewsters Craft became the first black female owned brewing company in South Africa when it opened its brewing facility in 2019.
Brewsters Craft is currently accredited as training provider with the FoodBev SETA (Accreditation number: 587/00208/1900) to offer a range of brewing skills programme and the NQF3 Brewing National Certificate; including a wide range of inhouse courses.
In 2020, Apiwe launched her own beer and cider brand – TolokaziBeer. The brand pays homage to African female brewers: past, present, and future. The range takes pride in showcasing use of indigenous African ingredients in modern brewing. The Sorghum Pilsner won bronze medal and Mango Beer silver medal at the 2020 African Beer Cup.
Apiwe is passionate about Africa and contributing towards the skills development of African brewers plus putting African brewing methodologies on a global platform.
Hannah Ferguson was born and raised in Youngstown, OH. She graduated from Kent State University in 2004 with her B.S. and later received her MBA from Keller Graduate School in 2011. Hannah has been a home wine and cider maker for 10 years. She started D.O.P.E. (Dwelling On Positive Energy) Brands LLC in 2017. To expand her knowledge in the industry in 2018 she became an assistant brewer for a local brewery and stayed in the position for 2.5 years. Hannah is the first female black brewer in the state of Ohio, she will also have the first black female owned cider and winery (which she will be the head wine and cider maker) in the state of Ohio when she opens DOPE Cider House and Winery late 2021. DOPE Brands, LLC is not only a cider and wine manufacturer, but we are lifestyle brand that takes pride in creating connections and experiences uniquely through cider and wine. Most importantly D.O.P.E. is about Dwelling On Positive Energy and empowering underrepresented minorities in the industry as well as enthusiasts.
Originally from Iowa, Tiffany Pitra relocated to Yakima, Washington in 2010 where she immediately fell in love with the hop industry. Tiffany holds a B.A. from the University of Northern Iowa and in 2014, she completed the UC Davis Applied Sensory and Consumer Science Certificate Program while building her first raw materials sensory program. She currently serves as the ASBC Sensory Subcommittee Chair, helping validate sensory methods and hosting workshops at annual meetings. At Yakima Chief Hops, she is fortunate to align her professional goals with personal interests; she is passionate about hop quality, sensory education, and growing the Yakima community.
Tessa is a Seattleite who brewed beer in Sweden, Germany, Chile, and Scotland before graduating from Heriot-Watt University with an MSc in Brewing and Distilling. She is now helping to further develop the YCH sensory program with a special emphasis on beer sensory. Tessa coordinates with Yakima Chief Hops’ sensory team and brewing partners to design, execute, and report on experiments which help further our collective understanding of hops and beer flavor. When trying to explain her job to strangers at a dinner party, Tessa describes what she does as “Drinking beer, but for science”.
Ashleigh Carter is one of the owners and is the Head Brewer at Bierstadt Lagerhaus in Denver Colorado. In her ten year career in brewing, she has gone from working in a homebrew shop packaging specialty malt, to an assistant brewer at Dry Dock Brewing (Aurora, CO), to the Lead Brewer at Prost Brewing (Denver, CO), and now is in charge of everything beer at Bierstadt. Her vision of a three malt, two hop lager brewery, replete with horizontal lager tanks and a hard-to-find outside of Bavaria floatation tank is firmly rooted in traditional techniques and patience. In 2020 Wine Enthusiast magazine awarded her as one of the 40 under 40 top tastemakers in the country-one of only two brewers to make this list.
Brienne Allan is a professional brewer with over 9 years of experience, most recently held the role of production lead and brewer at Notch Brewing in Salem, MA. Currently, she is working on a new brewing project slated to open in the Summer of 2022. In late May 2021, Allan after sharing her own story about sexism in the industry, she asked her Instagram followers "Have you ever experienced sexism in the beer industry?” She received hundreds of stories from women who have faced gender discrimination, sexual assault and harassment, and racism. Since then, thousands of stories have been shared online, which has created a #MeToo movement in the beer industry. In July 2021, Brienne launched the Brave Noise collaborative brew initiative with Ash Eliot, Founder of Women of the Bevolution. Brienne hopes breweries will join her in advocating for change and develop resources to best support beer industry professionals and customers.
Anne Flesch, Technical Sales Support Manager for fruit fermentations and specialty beverages, The Americas. In her current position at Fermentis Anne is bringing technical support to the Fermentis team and the end users about Fermentis products for Wine, Cider and specialty beverages. She joined Fermentis in 2017 as Regional Sales Manager for Western North America before transitioning to her new position in 2022. Previously to Fermentis Anne worked in wine production as an Enologist in France (Sancerre) and Washington State (Red Mountain) as well as a researcher in the biofuel/bioenergy production from different sources (microalgae, jatropha, pellets ) in different countries( Australia, India and France). She has a Biosystem engineering degree and master of science from Montpellier SupAgro, France.
Clara holds a PhD in biology and in recent years she has specialized in brewing microbiology, brewing quality and yeast repitching. She is also co-founder of La Compañía Coworking Bariloche, where it works with the local entrepreneurial community on issues of sustainability, leadership and gender.
Julieta graduated in food science and technology, she´s been brewing since 2014. She specializes in microbiology and brewing quality, currently she is doing her doctorate in propagation and application of unconventional yeasts for the productive sector.
Sol is the co-founder of La Compañía Coworking Bariloche, where she has worked since 2016 in commercial advice, brand development and linking of ventures, especially those that propose a sustainable perspective, leadership and gender. Is certified consultant B.
Fiorella Borkert and Romi Rossel are two sisters who have worked closely together since 2018 in the development of their product line and sustainability program: The Bountiful Bag.
Fiorella, most commonly known as “Fio”, is a multi-passionate artist that adores food, fashion, music, craft beer and innovative business procedures with strong philanthropic tendencies. She graduated with honors from FIDM in 2011 with an AA on Apparel Industry Management and later on, while working in the beer industry, she came across an abundance of (beautiful!) plastic packaging from ingredients used in the production of craft beer - plastic that is currently not being commercially recycled in the United States. She used her expertise in fashion to experiment and upcycle these materials into all kinds of lifestyle durable products. This is how The Bountiful Bag was born!
Romi Rossel is a Photographer and Digital Media Artist with a background in Finance, Operations and Marketing. She graduated with honors from The Art Institute of California Orange County with a Bachelor’s in Visual Effects and Motion Graphics, but after working in the entertainment industry in Hollywood for a couple of years, she decided to move back to San Diego to pursue an independent career in photography, social media and marketing. Romi has always been passionate about philanthropy and the environment, so after learning about Fio's upcycling efforts, she proposed partnering up to further develop Fio’s vision.
The sisters have since worked with 30+ breweries and also started upcycling other materials like event banners and wasted fabrics, attracting collaborators such as Vans Warped Tour, Brewbies Fest, Keep A Breast Foundation, Bumbleride, PETA, and Room & Board. A percentage of proceeds of each collection is donated to nonprofits chosen by their collaborators.
Fio & Romi have also been involved in the formation of two new sustainable organizations and initiatives that are aiming to make big environmental changes in our city: Sustainability Is Sexy and San Diego Brewcycling Collaborative.
Tyler and Laurie met at a SoCal Cerveceros homebrew club meeting and quickly banded together in search of sacred and delicious homebrew knowledge. Brew’d Up was started as a way to dialogue around homebrewing and our shared love of fermented bevs. We don’t know it all, but we want to learn it all (and BREW IT ALL!) Pour one (or don’t) and join us for some laughs and tidbits of anecdotal truths. Brew’d Up streams on most podcast platforms, check out our Instagram and Patreon page for even more homebrew content and please drop us a line, we love to connect with our homebrew community!
I make beer. I am a homebrewer. I'm slightly obsessive. I'm also a monthly columnist for BeerAdvocate the Magazine and a regular contributor to Zymurgy and other publications. What sort of beer do I make? Is every beer a thing? Literally everything from the palest American lager to the heaviest booze filled Imperial Stouts. If it ferments, I'll do it. Cider, Sake, Wine, Kombucha, etc. But what I'm known for is the strange creations like Champagne Beer, Guacamole Beer and the dreaded Clam Chowder Saison. And a lot of Saisons, a lot of them. Together with my co-author Denny Conn, I host a bi-weekly podcast - Experimental Brewing. Give us a listen.
Over the last 24 years, I've brewed 588 batches of beer. I have co authored 3 books with Drew Beechum ( Experimental Homebrewing, Homebrew All Stars, and Simple Homebrewing) and written numerous magazine articles. I have been on the Governing Committee of the American Homebrewers Assoc. for 15 years and am the administrator of the AHA discussion forum. Drew and I have had the chance to travel the world speaking to homebrewers. And as far as I know, I'm the only homebrewer to have a strain of brewing yeast named after him.
Eugenia is a Cicerone Certified Beer Server, Founder of Beer Chick LLC and beer influencer who uses her platform to celebrate, empower, and connect people who share a love of beer. She is active in her community and is an advocate and champion for diversity and inclusion in all spaces and places. Her goal is to continue to change the narrative as a black women in the craft beer industry, and continue to elevate the voices of other women of color who enjoy drinking beer. You can find her out and about in her community uplifting people, and supporting her local breweries.
Kerri Brown (she/her) is a writer and researcher based in Dallas and Belém. A Texan living in the Brazilian Amazon, she holds a PhD in cultural anthropology and works developing grassroots projects around economic development, technology, racial justice, and environmental rights in the African Diaspora. Her most recent projects have included creating a virtual network of Afro-Amazonian microentrepreneurs and supporting rural cooperatives of women herbalists.
She loves all things artisan and has travelled extensively to experience the smells, tastes, colors, sights, and sounds of different artisan communities worldwide. She is passionate about regional craft beer scenes and hopes to broaden international dialogue around equity, inclusion, and social innovation within the craft beer industry. She believes that who and where we buy from are political choices, and she is interested in amplifying the voices and spaces of groups that have been marginalized within the industry.
Her favorite beer of all time is Schneider Weisse’s Tap 7, but her most recent favorite has been Doktor Bräu’s Psicótipa IPA.
In an age when consumers are thinking about their health and wellness choices more than ever, Athletic Brewing Company has catapulted onto the craft beer scene, changing the way people think about beer. Marketing and brand strategy has been a fundamental part of that shift in mindset. Rosalie Kennedy, Director of Marketing, joined Athletic in early 2020 and has built the marketing department from the ground up. With a passion for consumer behavior, Rosalie has spent her career developing some of the most explosive brands in the industry, such as Angry Orchard (Boston Beer Co.) and Dos Equis (G2). Rosalie takes pride in making a difference in people’s lives and in the industry as a whole; whether it’s helping to cultivate a strong, diverse and energetic company culture, sharing the amazing adventures emerging from the Athletic team, or giving back to the community.
Meagen Anderson hails from the Midwest and has had the pleasure of being part of the incredible evolution of the craft beer movement in the United States for the past 15 years. Her professional portfolio includes commercial roles for The Boston Beer Company and the revered New Zealand based hop co-operative, NZ Hops Ltd. In 2022, Meagen became an advisor to the craft brewing industry to join a vertically integrated cannabis startup in Michigan to build cannabis beverage brands and direct wholesale efforts. She also founded Transcending Trauma in 2022, a program created to support survivors and supporters of the #metoo movement by offering Transcendental Meditation training and consciousness programs to breweries and individuals.
Meagen is pursuing an MBA in Sustainable Business at Maharishi International University in Fairfield, IA in combination with Consciousness Consultant training with the esteemed Dr. Tony Nader, MD, PHD, MARR.. She currently resides in Portage, MI. Meagen loves spending time with her two beautiful children and is grateful to be able to give them the gift of consciousness and help nurture their own creative expression.
23 years ago I started brewing commercially at a little brewpub in California called Ross Valley Brewing Company. Before that I was homebrewing all the time. I was inspired to brew by the year I spent in the UK on exchange, and all the beer that I had there that I couldn't get here. Since starting my career in 1999 I've worked for a number of breweries from Los Angeles to Vancouver, BC. So far, Bosk is my favorite and where I've been able to stretch myself and my brewing the farthest. Five years ago I came out as transgender, making me one of the few out trans brewers in the industry. It's been an interesting ride, but living authentically has made me a better brewer.
Casey Helwig studied philosophy in school which led to many late night discussions with friends trying to solve the world's problems. Inevitably, there would be beer involved at these gatherings and it didn’t take long for her to fall in love with everything the craft beer industry had to offer. From the quality and bold flavors to the community that beer builds, she began to realize a strong passion for craft beer. She has held positions from serving, bartending to brewery sales and for the past 6 years has filled the role of sales manager at Imperial Yeast. Outside of the brewing industry, Casey enjoys hiking and camping with her family, cooking and waiting for the next books in her favorite sci-fi/fantasy series to be released.
A newcomer to the beer industry, Rebecca worked in a regulatory testing lab for the NJ Department of Agriculture for 5 years prior to my current role at Imperial Yeast Philadelphia. At Imperial Rebecca manages the QC lab using techniques like microscopy, qPCR, and plating.
Kathleen “KB” Brandl stumbled into the world of craft beer after graduating from UC Davis. Despite believing that she would go on to pursue a career in evolutionary biology, KB quickly fell in love with the craft beer industry’s care for quality and community after working at Sudwerk Brewing Co. After a working in taproom and event management for Sudwerk, KB set her beer sights for Portland, OR. She worked front of house for Trap Door Brewing and Final Draft Taphouse. The pandemic unexpectedly shifted KB’s career path to Imperial Organic Yeast, where she now works as a Production Technician, assisting in the growing and harvesting of craft yeast. In her free time KB enjoys doing anything outdoors with her dog, Ollie, singing and listening to music with her partner, and mediating with her sangha.
Nicole Erny is a beer professional from Northern California with a focus on sensory and education. For the past 13 years, she’s built her career from beertending at a specialty beer bar to consumer-facing beer events to education and exam development with the Cicerone Program to sensory education, quality program development, staff training and consulting for breweries. In 2011, she became the fourth person and first woman to earn the title of Master Cicerone®. She currently works in the quality team at Faction Brewing Co and has fun as beer buyer for a small restaurant group.
Co-founder Mujeres Brewhouse and Border X Brewery.
Annie Johnson is an experienced research and development brewer and IT specialist. She is a national beer judge. Her awards awards include American Homebrewer of the Year honors in 2013 and Pilsner Urquell MasterHomebrewer. As one of the voices who has helped to shape American beer today, her recorded oral history is preserved in the Smithsonian American History Museum’s Brewing History Initiative.
With nearly a decade of experience in the alcohol industry, a passion for encouraging personal and professional growth, and her trademark wit, Ren Navarro is here to educate, enlighten, and engage. Since launching Beer. Diversity. in 2018, Ren has become a known name at breweries, wineries, distilleries, and beyond. She has given talks on diversity and inclusion at several colleges and countless festivals, panels, radio shows, and podcasts internationally. In addition to being a diversity educator, she is a craft beer consultant for bars and restaurants in Ontario and an educator for countless businesses throughout the country.
Michelle is the Head of Education at Labatt Breweries of Canada. A Certified Cicerone®, MBAA Beer Steward, and Recognized BJCP Beer Judge, Michelle holds a professional level of knowledge related to ingredients, brewing process, beer styles, tasting and evaluation, and pairing food with beer. With a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Hospitality & Tourism Management from Ryerson University, Michelle developed her foundational knowledge in beer, wine, and spirits in the restaurant industry. Aspiring to make a greater impact and contribute to the beer community, Michelle pursued her Cicerone certification in 2013, becoming one of the first females in Canada to achieve the accreditation.
Michelle’s expertise on beer and food pairing has been featured on Global News, CTV Morning Live, 680 News, the Globe & Mail, and Fashion Magazine. With insights from Google indicating that Canada searches more about beer than any other country in the world, Michelle holds an important role in supporting the growth of the overall beer category by educating Canadians to beer better every day.
Blanca Quintero has been in the craft beer industry since 2012. She started as a beertender for Stone Brewing followed by working at Firestone Walker Brewing Company in Retail/Marketing/Sales and is now at Highland Park Brewery in Los Angeles as Assistant General Manager. Journeying into the beer world from a 9-5 job proved an arduous journey that she met with gumption and hard work. She became a Certified Cicerone and is an avid beer geek. She advocates for women in the beer industry and was the Chapter Leader for Pink Boots Society Los Angeles for 3 years leading to her election to the Board of Directors in the fall of 2020. A Los Angeles native, she has become impassioned with promotion of women and BIPOC in the beer industry.
Linda van Loon was born and raised in the Netherlands where she fell in love with the world of yeast, bacteria and fermentation. After obtaining a degree in Life Sciences she started a career in brewing, with a focus on mixed fermentation. It was at Nevel Wild Ales where she learned about making beer in a more sustainable and local context.
This interest in a more authentic way of brewing led her to Norway: to the land of kveik and raw beer. Since 2020, Linda has been working for one of the few commercial raw beer breweries in the world, Eik & Tid, where she works with raw beer and the re-use of spent grains. She is also a beer judge at the festival for traditional Norwegian brewing: Kornølfestival. And chapter leader (and co-founder) of Pink Boots Benelux and Norway (soon!). In 2021 and 2022 she received sponsor- and scholarships to accelerate her quest on making the beer industry in Europe a better place for women.
Ruvani de Silva (she/her) is a travel-loving beer writer with bylines including Good Beer Hunting, PorchDrinking, Beer Is For Everyone, Texas Highways and VinePair. She writes about beer in Central Texas and beyond, and is a vocal advocate for diversity, equality and inclusion in beer. Ruvani has been recognised as one of Good Beer Hunting's 2021 Signifiers and was Highly Commended by the British Guild of Beer Writers in their 2021 Awards Best Beer Writer, National Media category. As a British South Asian woman living in Texas, Ruvani brings a unique voice to the world of craft beer. She is also the founder of #SouthAsianBeerClub.
Monica Duggan, Sales & Operations Manager, Liquid Gravity Brewing Company In true 'Girls run the world' fashion, Monica joined the world of craft beer and hit the ground running. Since 2014, Monica has been active with the Brewers Association, her local Brewers Guild, the California Craft Brewers Association, and is currently the President of her local Pink Boots Chapter. She makes her living as the Sales & Operations Manager at Liquid Gravity Brewing Company, a first year brewery in beautiful San Luis Obispo, California.
Karine Teffah is the Chief Marketing Officer for #NotMe, a free, open, resolution-seeking reporting platform for those who’ve experienced or witnessed any type of misconduct. With an international background in Marketing, Karine was raised in the UK and has moved to North America to contribute to #NotMe’s mission.
Meet the Beer Brewnettes. These two won our GF30 Grainfather Conical giveaway that happened over on Instagram! Here is a bit about them.
We are neighbours and friends who homebrew together in our backyard little green brew barn and chronicle our homebrewing journeys on our social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram, You Tube) so that we can be with a like-minded community of home-brewing enthusiasts! All of our brewing equipment is Grainfather Equipment. Currently, we have 2 Grainfather G30s, 1 Grainfather G70 (we just got this!!), and 2 Gainfather Fermenters, so having this third fermenter will be PERFECT for brewing with the G70 and the G30s! We are so stoked! The new fermenter also has the new control box and ours have the old ones that fall and break often, so we are so excited!!
Sadly only Maria can join us for the Grainfather Homebrew Panel but rest assured these two will be brewing up lots of yummy stuff in the great white north!
Katherine is an award winning homebrewer, BJCP Certified Judge, and Assistant Brewer at Counterbalance Brewing in Seattle WA. She brews with a Grainfather at home and enjoys her other employment at Sound Homebrew Supply and as Commercial Photographer. Prost!
Swift Cider, Portland Oregon +
High School Math Teacher turned Certified Cider Professional.
I have been at Swift Cider the past year doing a little bit of everything. From production to serving in our tasting room to office administration. I have seen all sides of cider making including the shenanigans in my basement.
Racquel is the Cidermaker and Assistant Winemaker for McMenamins Pubs & Breweries. After getting a BS in Enology at Cal Poly SLO and several years of working in wine production, she got the chance to work with apples at Edgefield Winery & Ciderhouse. It was there she discovered the best of both worlds, still working with wine but with the added joy of year-round cider fermentation and a whole new world of flavor combinations. In her 4 years at Edgefield, she has become very passionate about the cider industry and looks forwarded to evolving her craft in this growing industry.
