A few of the incredible professional beer community members

Because we study and gather qualitative psychographic data, it’s interesting to read quantitative stats. Fascinating!

• As of March 2012, there were 1,989 operating breweries in the USA.
• American small and independent breweries provide well over 100,000 jobs. Think of the end number when you add the large brewery employees!
• The small and independent breweries produced somewhere in the range of 11.47 million barrels in 2011.
• Over 4000 beers were entered in the 2012 World Beer Cup competition, which included 95 styles from 56 countries judged by 215 from 29 countries.

To celebrate our American Beer landscape, look for festivals, events and other beer related goings on. WEB is involved in many focused on fun education. If you’ll be at SAVOR June 8 & 9 2012 in Washington DC, be sure to look for us there.

Stats courtesy of Brewers Association

gorgeous hand blown Gathering Glass globes

Gathering Glass hosted the Women Enjoying Beer Monthly meet-up last night with a full house in attendance. Keith and Scott, the studio owners and operators, were very welcoming helpful and glad to enjoy tasting the beers and foods on the menu.

A little background: We met at a glass blowing studio because Keith and Scott generously donated 30 hand blown ornaments for a fundraising festival we were part of last year. Bringing almost 30 women to the studio to learn about them, beer glassware and do our usual tasting of 4 beers + foods was a natural fit.

LOTS of questions were asked, most we were able to cram in, some will wait until next time. There’s so much to share about beer and to have a unique host location spurs even more curiosity, which is a big part of learning.

There’s never a lack of engagement, questions, and fun at these events. If you’re a business that could benefit from a lively group of women visiting to learn about beer on a regular basis, call us. We can help you set it up for success from the start.

If you’re a female consumer who enjoys learning about beer, seek these opportunities out. We realize there are still too few to satisfy and recognize (with full respect) that women want to know more about beer. That said, ask your local establishments to put them on. Smart businesses will react.

There's Moylan's in that glass!

Here’s the menu we enjoyed:

Moylan’s generously provided beer (Thanks so much!) for the evening and we mapped out the 4 choices. As far as food went, we suggested some things from the strolling “pick the goodies you want” selection and encouraged them to mix, match and discover as well.

Beers tasted:

• Tipperary Pale Ale
• Dragoon’s Dry Irish Stout
• Ryan Sullivan’s Imperial Stout
• Old Blarney Barleywine

Having both a ‘regular’ stout and an imperial was a particular bonus. We had one after the other and attendees could experience them very close together, which is an effective learning technique.

Foods available:

Mixed nuts, yogurt covered raisins, mission figs, black licorice bites, (dried) veggie chips, animal cookies, dried cranberries, dark chocolate malted milk balls, Wasabi peas, fresh french bread, and cheeses (medium cheddar, Monterey jack, Cojack, provolone).

We’re thrilled and ecstatic (yes, really!!!) to have Emily Engdahl onboard with Women Enjoying Beer. Suffice it to say Emily’s fire, diplomacy and great enthusiasm for beer and education are a beerfect fit all around.

She’s dug into the landscape of WEB Events Development StormTrooper with great energy and zest. We’re extremely grateful and happy. Thanks for joining the business of changing culture, research, and education for WEB, Emily.

photo by Sara Szatmary

Here’s a bit more about her:

    Emily Engdahl joins WEB with 13 years of experience managing a small business dedicated to the elderly and mentally ill.
    In addition to her wide range of event coordination, conflict resolution, mediation, organizational and financial management skills, Emily’s communication and marketing experience couple with her love of beer and community for a dynamic and enthusiastic addition to our team.
    Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, Emily is an avid artist, writer, and voracious reader who enjoys homebrewing, plotting her mini-farm, freelance graphic design, and making people laugh.

Do you know 31 females that you can celebrate?

I can think of dozens, all for different reasons, in many different facets of familiarity.Some I know well, some less so, some not yet (and would like to share a beer with for sure).

Here are some I celebrate today, International Women’s Day, in no particular order, with plenty more where these came from….

• My Mom
• My Sister
• My Mom-in-Law
• My Sister-In-Law
• Celia Hogan
• Emily Engdahl
• Glenda Stormes
• Maureen Ogle
• Lisa Morrison
• Julia Herz
• Olivia Cerio
• Veronica Vega
• Tonya Cornett
• Gayle Goschie
• Joy Henkle
• Eileen Dunn
• Shauna Carter
• Kim Hosford
• Ann George
• Julie Johnson
• Diane Gaston
• Kim Jordan
• Roz Savage
• Kirrily Waldhorn
• Jill Redding
• Erin Glass (and the rest of the women at the BA)
• Lauren Salazar
• Julie Wartell
• Sue Shulters
• Stevie Caldarola
• Angela T Sansone
• Joy Bray
• Karolina Wyszynska
• Kristin Muraro
• Holly Zabka
• Angela Arp
• Chris Crabb
• Bernadette Wasdovitch
• Bernadette Perryman
• Laurie Bernstein
• Sarah Schuck
• Leslie Kirkland
• Sandi Globus
• Sarah Huska
• Alison Grayson
• Stacy Bannerman
• Mariah Calagione
• Priscilla Hunter
• Leslie Henderson
• Anette Heaslet
• Sabrah Maple
• Christie Todd Whitman
• Marcia Jonas
• Rhonda Kallman
• Rebecca Newman
• Nicole Nelson
• Rhianna Simes
• Claire Sykes
• Nicole Kasten
• Donna Wright
• Belle and Hops
• Johanna Blakley
• Sheryl Sandberg
• Alice Waters
• Geena Davis
• Ellen Degeneres
• Lola at the USPS

Is that more than 31?? So what…I could go on.

Now you – go on. Make your own list.

Women Enjoying Beer presented the first ever Beer & Chocolate pairing session at the 8th Annual Oregon Chocolate Festival held last weekend in Ashland, OR. Our gracious and enthusiastic hosts, lead by the famazing Karolina, made being a presenter and vendor easy and fun.

Thanks to the guests who enjoyed an hour’s worth of lively tasting, conversating and questions. We featured 3 flavorful West coast beers matched with 3 delicious local chocolate makers.

• Standing Stone Brewing Company’s specially made for the festival Chocolate Stout with Dagoba Milk Chocolate (using Zorba’s cocoa nibs)
• Lost Coast Tangerine Wheat with Zorba’s Raw chocolate citrus truffle (sweet orange, coconut milk, palm sugar, cardamom, vanilla, and ginger). The texture on this truffle was particularly spectacular in pairing it with beer.
• Southern Oregon Brewing’s Porter with Lillie Belle Farms‘ Perfect Illusion (raspberry characteristics made with white beans)

Judging by the enthusiasm of the attendees I’d say we had a big success on our taste buds.

Many thanks to the generous supply of beer from the brewers and Lark’s Restaurant in the Hotel as well as the chocolate companies. The Hotel staff and volunteers from SOU were a big help as well.

Celebrating IWD at Louie's 2011

Find and highlight 31 reasons to celebrate Women’s Herstory Month – it starts today!!

And International Women’s Day is Thursday March 8th. Show women they matter by making a big deal out of it.

• 31 Women and females you know and care about
• 31 Influential female figures in your world
• 31 Attributes women bring to the world
• 31 Female homebrewers
• 31 Female professional brewers
• 31 Female beer professionals
• 31 Women

You can do it. Women are doing it everyday.

p.s. International Men’s Day = November 19th

Last night we used our monthly WEB meet up to celebrate our 3rd anniversary, albeit a few months later than actual date. Really though, not a big deal.

Happy Anniversary!

What is a big deal is that after 3 + years of Women Enjoying Beer progress, it’s encouraging to still see new women in the community where I live ‘discover’ WEB and want to be part of it. More importantly they want to come back. And bring friends.

Here’s the menu we featured to celebrate last night:

• Trumer Pils with simple citrus and greens salad
• New Belgium Dig Pale Ale with lightly grilled pear and goat cheese sandwich slivers (extra thanks to Christian Holbrook w/NBB for the bonus insight on this beer)
• Boneyard Femme Fatale with Apple fries and caramel (poor image choice for this label…tasty beer)
• Avery Maharaja with french bread and Hopyard Cheddar cheese from Rogue Creamery

This time I didn’t tell the group what their beers were before partaking, which lent a fun twist to the discovery. Without being about to put any preconceived brand notions on what was in their glass, they were more open-minded (although they’re pretty good about it as it is).

The groups always have Veterans and Rookies. So the combination of seasoned participants mingled with newbies is just as good as sampling new beer for WEB. We consistently hear the same discoveries, aha moments and the same patterns, every time.

Onward into year 4.

The Love of Beer Screening, Eugene OR

Looks like fun, yes? Maybe because the beer community is all about passion, progress, and fun. Here are some pictures from yesterday and last night’s screening of Alison’s The Love Of Beer at the David Minor Theatre.

Great show, happy audience, and all around good time had by all.

Beer does that somehow….

Okay – my apologies. I’d posted this – I thought – and yet the ghost in the machine somehow got a hold of it…

Marty letting 'er rip!

SO – with no further adieu, here’s the ‘Nod’, as it were. Many thanks to the talented, fun and sharp Marty Jones for the intro song per a workshop at Wynkoop Brewing Company on marketing beer to women.

I am woman hear me road in numbers too big to ignore / When I’m shopping for fine beer in your store / But your marketing and ads are aimed at dudes and dads / Ignoring customers without gonads

Oh yes I’m a wife and I’ve drank beer all my life / Yes I’ll pay the price if you offer beer that’s nice  / If I want to, I can buy anything / I’m employed, I have a Mastercard / I am woman!

I am woman see me drink In numbers larger than you think / And I know too much to go back an’ pretend / Please don’t suggest Cabernet when the one drink I crave / Is a Rail Yard Ale and glass of B3K

Oh yes, I have breasts but I don’t want the wine list / Two X chromosomes and I buy the beer for home / So please tell me about your beer stash / I want hops I want some flavor / I have taste and an MBA / I have expendable income I am WOOOOOOOO MAN!!!!

Cheers today to those who are diplomatic, practice diplomacy and exercise class and tact in the beer community.

Cheers to beer diplomacy

I want to take the time today to highlight a few that are on our “Beer Diplomats” list. We don’t pick favorites – we simply like to highlight those thoughts, ideas, progressions and people who make for a welcoming beer community environment.

To me and to Women Enjoying Beer, these folks exemplify being open-minded, charitable, progressive, smart, savvy and fun to be with and learn from.

These people are never arrogant, self-righteous, pompous or otherwise the antithesis to what we believe the beer community can, should and (for the most part) is.

1. Lisa Morrison. She’s positive, well versed, smart, open-minded, and classy.
2. Jay Brookston. His sense of the big picture, broad range of interests (like this post), and thoughtfulness speak highly of him.
3. Julia Herz. Energy personified, passion, spunk, and intelligence.
4. Kim Jordan. Mindful, savvy, sharp, and connected to her crew and Mother Earth.
5. Steven Pauwels. World view, classy, dedicated, engaging, and fun to talk with.

This is the first group that immediately jump to mind. There are thankfully hundreds of remarkable people in the beer community – from the most beginning consumer to the most experienced professional.

Pints up to all -