03 Oct Yes, I’m a Girl. Yes, I drink Craft Beer
Actually, I’m really into craft beer and consider beer tasting one of my favorite hobbies. Yes, there really are females, like me, who drink regularly and drink good stuff at that.
I’ve been into craft beer for almost two years now and have worked my way from Cider all the way to triple IPAs, like Founder’s Devil Dancer. My favorite part about craft beer is trying new things – this genuinely excites me – traveling around Indiana and even out of state to hit up some new breweries is always a fun adventure. I honestly don’t think I travel now without finding a local brewery or liquor store to pick up some new beers to try.
I’ve traveled to Washington, Florida, Michigan, Missouri, and Kentucky. I’ve traveled to all these great places for beer and have tried some amazing beers. But, one thing I’ve noticed is that bartenders and brewers tend to stereotype females who drink craft beer. Some of the breweries I’ve visited made the assumption that I was only into light beers like blondes or wheats. The truth is, I enjoy drinking light beers, but you can hand me a hoppy IPA, Barelywine, Stout, or Dubbel any day and I would be completely satisfied drinking one of those. I think it’s the assumption that all females drink light beer that kills me. Just because I’m a female doesn’t mean I don’t like a variety of beer; in fact, I prefer it.
So next time a female walks into a brewery don’t make assumptions on what kind of drinker she is. Instead, let her do her thing because odds are she’s just as into craft beer as you are.
Traci Bray
Posted at 05:44h, 03 OctoberYes! Beer tourism adds an amazing opportunity to connect with a community and get a true representation of what a neighborhood likes. Great article, Michelle. Even though wheats and blondes aren’t my go-to styles anymore, I do love the surprise of a complex and flavorful lighter beer. Maybe we’ll run into one another at a far away brewery some day. Cheers.
Michelle Downs
Posted at 12:12h, 03 OctoberThanks so much for checking out my post, Traci. I couldn’t agree more!
sara turner
Posted at 09:20h, 06 OctoberYou should try out Oaken Barrel in Greenwood if you haven’t already. They have awesome beer, most of which I brew myself. Ive been brewing there for about two years now and its always awesome to get new beer drinkers to the barrel. Especially female beer drinkers!
Michelle Downs
Posted at 03:17h, 07 OctoberI’ve been meaning to try Oaken Barrel out. Had no idea there was a female brewer there. Will definitely hit it up soon!
Holly Miller
Posted at 10:39h, 06 OctoberCouldn’t agree with you more. I own Black Acre Brewing in Irvington and constantly get, “Are you a wife of one of the owners?” People find it to be weird that a female could possibly do such a thing. In fact, the REAL weird thing is that there are plenty of us out there and still get treated that way. Female craft beer drinkers are everywhere! And here to stay as long as we keep making good beer.
Michelle Downs
Posted at 03:21h, 07 OctoberThis comment means a lot to me because Black Acre is one of my favorite local breweries! I honestly had no idea there was a female brewer there (to be fair, it’s not always made public). I think people need to embrace the fact that female craft beer drinkers and brewers are all over the place and stop making it seem like a totally new thing. Thanks for commenting! 🙂