KIRRILY WALDHORN

MELBOURNE, VIC

She’s known as ‘Australia’s first lady of beer’ and has turned her passion for a good brew into a successful career.

Kirrily Waldhorn consults, writes and talks about beer for living. She also drinks the odd beer or two ... purely for professional purposes.

Twenty years ago, Waldhorn says, the beer industry wasn’t as female-friendly as it is now, but even so, there’s still room for improvement.

“Beer is still shrouded in stereotypes and, unfortunately, craft beer is not immune to those perceptions that ‘beer is for blokes’. Although she says that increasing numbers of women have discovered beer styles that resonate with their tastes, and breweries have become a lot better at communicating with women, venues still need to smarten up.

“There’s still a bit too much condescension when females are ordering a beer in a venue. No-one should assume what you like and don’t like or what you can or can’t ‘handle’.” Other countries are leading the way, Waldhorn says. “In Europe, it’s much less blokey and it’s quite usual to see younger women drinking beer. The US craft-beer scene has also encouraged more women to drink beer and brewpubs can be found on many street corners, which are often a more female-friendly environment for women to enjoy a beer.”

In the name of research, and to develop her palate, Waldhorn constantly tastes a broad range of beer styles. “I often like to taste similar styles in a group, and it’s good to taste different beers with people who aren’t ‘beeries’, as it provides a fantastic insight into how consumers perceive the beer rather than how the beer would be judged in a professional environment,” she says.

And her personal favourite? “My love of the saison – a farmhouse-style beer made with a Belgian yeast strain that gives it a lovely funk – is well-known. It’s the perfect food beer and I reckon it’s converted more women than I can count to beer.”