Regular readers of this blog may well have deduced that a drop of alcohol has been known to pass my lips. My tipple of choice is a good pint of real ale.
When I started out on my toping career in the seventies beer supply was dominated by major chains who were happy to dispense fizzy and, if the truth be told, generally unappetising fare. I was an early member of the Campaign for Real Ale, one of the earliest successful consumer movements here in the UK which eventually shamed brewers to revive the ancient art of brewing real ale and more power to their elbow I say. Today we have more micro-breweries than ever, a record number of 197 breweries opened last year and there are now 1,147 breweries knocking out beers of varying qualities, strengths and tastes – the highest number for 70 years. To make the most of this beer nirvana I wander around the country with a copy of the Good Beer Guide on my tablet and the Stedders Football and Real Ale app on my smart phone.
The traditional image of a brewer is a jolly fat man standing proudly in front of row of barrels. You just need to look at the signage of pubs with names such as the Brewer’s Arms or The Two Brewers to have this stereotypical image confirmed.
But what is interesting is that the number of professional women brewers in the UK is on the rise. Sara Barton, who runs Brewster’s brewery was named Brewer of the Year in 2013, the first woman to receive the accolade in its twenty year history.
It seems that the story of women and brewing is going full circle. Brewing has a history in Britain going back 4,000 years and originally beer was brewed for domestic consumption and the production of the amber nectar fell squarely into the bailiwick of the fairer sex whilst the male concentrated on hunting, tending crops and the odd bit of rape and pillage. The novelist Jane Austen brewed beer and saw it as being part of her domestic duties. It was only when beer began to be produced on industrial quantities in centralised locations for consumption away from the home that men took over the role of brewing.
So why are women reclaiming their stake in the brewing industry? Partly, of course, because this is an age of equal opportunity but partly because they bring different qualities, approaches and flavours to their product – eschewing the hoppier, stronger brews that men produce for lighter, more flavoursome beers which go to complement foodstuffs of local provenance.
Frankly, I couldn’t care less about the sex of the brewer, For me the only determinant is does it taste good. But it is interesting, nonetheless, to see another example of what goes around, comes around. Cheers!
windowthroughtime 