It gives me a very warm feeling to see the sun shining on our beautiful island and people enjoying a pint or two of locally brewed beer. I’m also bolstered by the emergence of so many women coming into the brewing industry, many of which we’ve had the chance to meet. To celebrate International Women’s Day Collaboration Brew Day (IWCBD) in March we were invited to do a talk at Hand Brew Co. in Worthing, about our journey as women in beer, setting up a micro-brewery, craft-beer taproom (the first on the Island) and supporting creative cultural regeneration in a seaside town.
Kate Hyde is the talented and engaging head brewer at Hand and last year, intrigued by our concept and our beer, she made a beeline to Sandown to give us a visit! Given that Worthing and Brighton have so many great breweries and tap rooms this recognition was really encouraging for us. IWCBD established in 2013 is now a cornerstone of the brewing diary with so many events across the country and around the world highlighting the contribution made by women to the modern brewing industry.
Us beer nerds are all familiar with the history of women in beer. Throughout the 9,000-year history of brewing, archaeologists and historians have found evidence of the role of women in the production and sales of beer. Women brewers have been called: brewsters, brewesses and alewives, brewing at home for domestic consumption and, being a clever career choice for single women, opening up their front rooms as an ale house. Times have changed and the industry became overtaken by predominantly male-dominated big breweries, however, the growing micro craft brewery scene has made space for a more diverse representation. With more women studying sciences at university and the promotion of careers that were once deemed just for men, we have seen more female brewers, owners, designers, writers, judges, drinkers, and sales managers entering the scene. This is exciting as women can use their natural ability to discern more flavour and aroma profiles when designing and curating beer ranges for our modern age. It goes deeper than that though and I asked Kate about her thoughts on women in beer:
“There’s been a lot of press about how tough it is to be a woman in such a heavily male-dominated industry as brewing. It is hard and a lot of women in our industry live a daily reality where they feel unsafe, threatened, exploited or undermined at work. This should not be forgotten or treated lightly. However there is another side to being the minority, and it is this feeling of tribal familiarity. Never in my life have I felt such a connection with strangers as I do with women in and around this industry. Our otherness bonds us, across boundaries that should normally be a hindrance to collaboration and friendship, we grow stronger the more we meet people like us. Events such as Boojum’s forthcoming Other Half Beer Festival, and people such as Julie and Tracy, do so much for giving a voice and platform to us hidden ladies of beer, and the more you look you realise we’re not so rare at all. In fact, a lot of your favourite beers have probably benefited from a woman’s touch somewhere along the line “
24-26 June 2022, our newest beer festival “Other Half” is a celebration and recognition of the contribution women play in our modern beer scene. We have a very exciting and tasty line-up for you including Surround Sound a punchy hopfenweisse(5.5%) brewed on IWCBD at Hand Brew Co. As well as beers from Sophie de Ronde, head brewer at Burnt Mill Brewery (a founder of IWCBD) who extraordinarily produces fantastic beers that she cannot taste because of a severe allergy developed over the years as a brewer to barley and wheat! We have the delicious Hoppy Pale Ale No.12 featuring Opus, Jester and Minstrel hops brewed by Michaela Charles at Beerblefish Brewing Co as well as treats from the wonderful multi-award-winning Urban Island headed up by Hayley and of course yours truly at Boojum Brewery.
We hope to see you at the Other Half Beer Festival in June. Thanks for following. In the meantime please take a moment to watch a short film about IWCBD at Hand Brew Co
Julie 🤗
OTHER HALF – BEER MENU
SURROUND SOUND
Hopfenweisse 5.5%
Hand Brewery Co
Head brewer: Kate Hyde
Brewed to celebrate International Women’s Day 2022 in collaboration with the incredible women working for local breweries and bars in our area, and unite women working in the beer industry! We chose to brew a Hopfenweisse which we hopped with the Pink Boots blend from Yakima Chief Hops and a pinch of Sabro. Expect big fluffy banana milkshake and bubblegum vibes from the yeast, with a zing of tropical fruit punchbowl and coconut from the dry hop additions.
GET THE ONYX
West Coast IPA 6.4%
Burnt Mill Brewery
Head brewer: Sophie de Ronde
Burnt Mill have gained a name for their West Coast IPA’s Get the Onyx is a single hopped West Coast IPA. They have highlighted Simcoe, a firm favourite amongst their brew team. This beer brings you piney bitterness with hints of citrus and passionfruit all rolled into one for a refreshing crisp West Coast.
HOPPY PALE ALE NO 12
Pale ale 4.5%
Beerblefish Brewing Co
Head brewer: Michaela Charles
This series of pale ales, all around the 4.5% ABV mark, has given Michaela the opportunity to showcase new and different hops while maintaining a consistent pale malt base, allowing the different flavours and aromas to shine through. Hoppy Pale No.12 features Opus (orange/floral notes), Jester (grapefruit/blackcurrant notes) and Minstrel (citrus notes). Certified gluten-free
CASHMERE BRUT IPA
IPA 6.7%
Beerblefish Brewing Co
Head brewer: Michaela Charles
Cashmere Brut IPA is a British take on a new North American style. This beer showcases the Cashmere hop, with its gentle lemony flavour. As a brut style, the finish on this beer is dry, giving it characteristics similar to a sparkling wine. Gently hoppy and low bitterness Certified gluten-free.
BIG CITY SMALL ISLAND
Hazy tropical pale 5.2%
Urban Island Brewery
Owner: Hayley Wise
A refreshing hazy smooth tropical pale which breaches the flavour threshold resulting in a fruity mouth feel bursting with citrus fruits of lemon, lime and melon and after hints of coconut. Brewed with cashmere, mosaic and El Dorado hops.
JARRYLO
Single-hop pale ale 4.5%
Boojum&Snark
Head brewer: Julie Jones-Evans
Jarrylo is an American dwarf hop, a descendant of the hop Summit and gives, light banana, and light white wine notes. The hop is actually named after the Slavic god for springtime. Julie wanted to brew a crisp, pale ale with low bitterness, she used Kentucky, an American yeast that was good for Kolsch, Common and Cream ales. Malt bill was flaked maize, torrified wheat and extra pale Maris Otter. The resulting beer is just what I was hoping for – light, dry, fresh, perfect bitterness
SNARK
Pale ale 4.2%
Boojum&Snark
Head brewer: Julie Jones-Evans
The Snark began life as a Single Malt and Single Hop beer – SMASH – and was named South Island Pale Ale recognising the New Zealand Hop, Rakau and being brewed on the south of the Isle of Wight. A great beer was made better by introducing personal favourites Nelson Sauvin and Vic Secret (more antipodean hops) oats and extra pale Maris Otter for the base malt. The result is a beautiful pale, fragrant and fruity ale, earning a respectable Untappd rating of 4 on it’s first outing at Craft and Cask beer festival 2020 (under it’s original name of South Island Pale Ale). This beer is now part of the Goddards Brewed in the Bay range
BARRISTER
Breakfast stout 4.8%
Boojum&Snark
Collaboration: Julie Jones-Evans, Josh Davies
Bringing together your breakfast of strong coffee and porridge, this rich stout comes with strong coffee undertones and notes of dark bitter chocolate, vanilla and nutmeg. This beer is part of the Goddards Brewed in the Bay range
VANISHING
Cherry porter 6.5%
Boojum&Snark
Collaboration: Julie Jones-Evans, Josh Davies
A traditional combination of cherries, brings you a velvety rich pint full of chocolate and gentle coffee notes with a soft and satisfying cherry finish.
This porter is named after the final chapter in The Hunting of the Snark, a nonsense poem by Lewis Carroll that he began whilst on holiday in Sandown.
CIDER
UNDER DOWN
Medium 6.2%
Grazed Knee
Once upon a bike ride, a gravelly puddle became the site of an injured lower leg. Recovering from the grazed knee, over a glass of local cider, we wondered whether we too could produce something so delicious and refreshing. We found ourselves a few acres of land surrounded by the Isle of Wight’s outstanding natural beauty, planted our 250 trees over several years, assembled our cidery in a cave under St Boniface Down, gathered knowledge from the traditional sources of the Three Counties and the West Country and got down to work. Grazed Knee Cider was born.
Made seasonally with fresh Isle of Wight apples, slowly fermented and cave matured. Still and crisp.
