New Photography Project Shows Beer Industry Is A Woman’s Place Too

What comes to mind when you think of beer? Men sitting at a pub with a big old glass of their favorite pint of ale? Or just male hipsters in flannel drinking PBR’s out of a can? Either way, it’s commonly thought of as a man’s drink. Or so we all thought…

A new photography project that is brewing on the horizon (see what we did there?) is about to throw all of those misconceptions out of the window.

‘Caught on the Hop’ is an idea from UK photographer Nicci Peet, who is currently raising money on Kickstarter to fund her new project. Nicci is a beer lover herself, and was sick of the male stereotypes which existed in this industry. She is also planning on shooting the project on film, which isn’t exactly cheap, hence the crowd-funding.

“Even with the craft beer revolution shaking up preconceptions of beer and out dated stereotypes of beer drinkers it still seems to be closely associated with the male of the species. Stereotypes are unavoidable,” she said.

What started out as the planning of a trip to New Zealand became an in-depth look at the thriving beer industry in that country, and the women who were at the forefront of it. Nicci then decided her trip was going to be about the project.

“Personally, I feel women are under represented in the beer world. I actually run a blog – doesthatcomeinastout.tumblr.com – that looks at the role women play in the history of beer. The intention of this photography project is to spotlight women in the up and coming craft beer scene in New Zealand.

“As I was planning my trip I started to look at the beer scene in more depth and what I found was a vibrant industry at a really exciting point. But from what I can make out it mimics the UK in that it is still quite male dominated. If you look hard enough you can find a lot of brilliant, creative women working in the industry.”

She has started a tumblr page for ‘Caught on a Hop’ where she shares links, tidbits of information about beer, and photos of her beer expeditions as she gears up for the trip which she hopes to take later this year, which hinges on her Kickstarter campaign. Some of the information is stuff that none of us would ever know, but we’re sure glad she is doing the research and sharing it with the world.

“Beer hasn’t always been a man’s world. In ancient times women were the ones that brewed the beer. There was an array of Beer Goddesses in many ancient civilizations. Women are an integral part of the history of beer and, despite certain stereotypes, still play a huge role in the beer industry today.”

So far Nicci’s travels and beer photography has taken her all over Europe and parts of the US. And onto New Zealand she goes!

The project she is doing is yet another reminder that this male-dominate industry is becoming an exciting playground for many women. We are huge supporters of The Empowerment Project documentary (which also started from a successful Kickstarter campaign) which showcased pioneer women from all across America in a range of different industries. You may remember we hosted their on-the-road blog diary as they shot the docu in September 2013.

One of the women featured in the film is Teri Farhrendorf, who was the first female brewmaster west of the Rockies, the first female brew master in California, and the first female brew master in Oregon. Today she works for Great Western Malting in Washington State,  and is also the founder of the Pink Boots society, which is an organization dedicated to female beer lovers and beer brewers in the United States, and they are encouraging more and more women to get involved in an exciting and thriving industry for women.

Across the other side of the US in New York, is an Irish Pub called Grace O’Malleys which was featured in the New York Times not too long ago. The owner decided he wanted to showcase the “feminine” side of the Irish Pub culture and hired some gun female mixologists to shake up the menu and perceptions of what people expect to see in the bar scene.

Why did they do this? To attract the growing and already substantial female customer base who want to have their liquor catered to them. There’s nothing worse than walking into a dive bar and seeing a bunch of grumpy old men hunched over their beer, drowning their sorrows. We want to walk into a fun atmosphere which celebrates both men and women and doesn’t work off stereotyped marketing any longer.

Sex and the City may have put cocktails firmly on the map as a girly drink, but people like Nicci Peet, Teri Fahrendorf and pubs like Grace O’Malleys are opening up new possibilities for women in an industry where they can actually have a legitimate career, or be catered to by women who know the craft just as well as any man.

It’s exciting to see the pioneer women who are removing the ancient boundary lines and making new pathways for new generations of women to come through. Be sure to check out Nicci’s Kickstarter campaign, donate to her project, and be part of the greater conversation which is openly discussing how women are rising up to claim opportunities for themselves.