Pink Boots’ Western Australia Chapter has just released its yearly brew, a boysenberry, chocolate and ice cream brown ale.
Starting in 2007 from an online list of 60 women in the brewing industry, Pink Boots has grown into an international network of women who make a living from beer.
A not-for-profit organisation, Pink Boots is dedicated to supporting and empowering women working in any aspect of the beer industry.
The brew, named Girlsenberry Choc Bomb, was brewed at the Nowhereman Brewery in Leederville, Perth and saw a collaboration between the Little Creatures, Nowhereman, Feral, Eagle Bay, Rocky Ridge, Nail, Gage Roads, Colonial and Brew-U.
Playing on the current trend for dessert beer, the brewers decided to keep their brown ale light and refreshing enough to want to drink on a hot and dry Western Australian day.
It used 20 kilograms of cacao husks in the mash and some oats for extra creaminess, lactose sugar to give it a cream body and 100 kilograms of boysenberry for flavour. The ingredients were donated by Gladfield Malts, Bintani, Kegstar and Bahen & Co.
WA Pink Boots Coordinator Pia Poynton said Pink Boots gives women visibility and the turnout of the day shows the wide range of roles that women play within the industry.
“Where the beer industry is mostly male-dominated, Pink Boots looks to bring women together,” she said.
Little Creatures brewers Jess Curtin and Mel Dennis gave a resounding “yes” when asked if they were happy with the direction that Pink Boots’ was going in. Mel Dennis continued that “It’s all about proving that beer can be feminine”.
From hop growers to ladies in the lab, Pink Boots offers genuine support to all women in a traditionally male industry.
Since 2016, Pink Boots Australia has awarded scholarships to women in beer by way of covering the associated costs in attending the IBA Brewers conference. There are no scholarships available at the moment.
The beer is available in select beer venues in Perth as well as in the South West at Darleen’s in Busselton and Bush Shack, Cheeky Monkey’s, Colonial and Eagle Bay breweries.
A limited number of kegs will heading to Melbourne and will be available at Colonial, Two Birds and during Good Beer week it will be available at the Royston Hotel.