This was my first panel and first time speaking to my peers in the craft beer industry. It was just a little daunting (!) and choosing the panel was not easy, despite the small percentage of brewers who are women. I wanted the panel's perspective to include brewing, retail experience, sales and distributor management, educational and culinary focuses, and last but not least, a deep passion for beer and a sense of humor. There were so many women I wanted to invite on the panel, but I narrowed it down to Jodi Stoudt (Stoudts Brewing), Candice Allstrom (Beer Advocate), and Teri Fahrendorf (Pink Boots Society).
I shared the questions in advance, and the responses were posted on Candice's blog, as well as the Beer Advocate Forum which raised some lively discussion whether gender matters! The panel was also blogged by DrinkCraftBeer and TopFermented! Thanks to everyone for their input!
We will continue this discussion, so stay tuned and please do raise your voice if you have an opinion!
Here are a few figures and soundbytes from the Craft Brewers Conference:
- 50.9% of the US Population are Women, we are the Majority.
A Majority is not a Niche or Novelty. (Ginger/Snap!) - You train for a marathon, you mentor for a lifetime. (Ginger/Snap!)
- 31% of Women in the US Drink Beer (Julie/BA)
- Women between the ages of 21-30 are drinking more beer than any other agre group. (seb/web)
- Beer drinking among women in the 50-plus age group is increasing,
a fact and group often overlooked in the media. (seb/web) - 20% of MBAA members are women in 2009, there were none thirty years ago.
(seb, from Brewers Bulletin editor and mbaa members) - By 2010, women will control more than half the private US Wealth, or about $14 Trillion. (seb/web)
Posts
