Jane Kershaw at the Joseph Holt Brewery
Indeed as we speak later in the dining area of one of Holt’s newly refurbished pubs, the Millhouse in Warrington, the décor exquisitely makes the point. With large windows, deliberately mismatched cushions and plants curling drowsily around indoor trellises, the place feels like a funky sitting room. If there is any barroom bloke chat, well, it’s being done in the most hygge of settings.
But what of Kershaw’s work? Isn’t brewing beer traditionally associated with men rather than women?
My question is indulged with a patient smile. “I suppose it’s because there’s still something of a stereotype
WILD CARD BREWING PALE ALE
4.3%, £1.80 for 330ml, Tesco
Based in Walthamstow, north London and headed up by the immensely talented Jaega Wise (who also presents on TV and radio), Wild Card has steadily become a real favourite; this pale ale delivers fruity refreshment in spades.
MAGIC ROCK BREWING SALTY KISS
4.1%, £2.20 for 330ml, M&S
Head of operations and production (the person who really runs the brewery on a day-to-day basis) Christa Sandquist was Alessandra Confessore’s predecessor at Ilkley (see right). Salty Kiss is an award-winning gooseberry beer with just a hint of salt to elevate all the flavours.
ILKLEY BREWERY ALPHA BETA
4.5%, £2.59 for 330ml, beerhawk. co.uk
Italy’s loss was Yorkshire’s gain in the form of head brewer Alessandra Confessore who took the reigns at Ilkley a few years ago. Alpha Beta lives up to its session IPA style description with its easydrinking grapefruit zestiness. about drinking beer,” she says. “It’s often – wrongly – seen as a man’s drink. So I imagine that may well explain why brewing itself isn’t thought of as a profession which is as attractive to women. But the truth is there are more women coming into this line of work.
“I’d love to go into schools and talk to 14- or 15-year-old girls about working in the industry. Certainly if they enjoy science, can think creatively and enjoy manufacturing there is so much scope to work within a brewery.”
Beer runs in Kershaw’s blood. She’s the sixth generation of her family to
BURNT MILL STEEL CUT
4.2%, £5 for 440ml, indiebeer.co.uk
BATH ALES GEM
4.8%, £1.61 for 500ml, Asda
Bath Ales pulled off a real coup when it lured head brewer Georgina Young away from Fuller’s but, for the west-country woman, it was also a welcome return home. Gem is the brewery’s first and still flagship bitter, with soft bready notes and a hint of blackcurrant. work at the Joseph Holt brewery, which was founded by her eponymous great-great-great grandfather 170 years ago just as Manchester was booming during the Industrial Revolution. Her brother now works there too, making them the first siblings in the family to do so. “When I was young my parents were good at exposing us to the business at the right level.
“We used to come into the brewery at the weekend and have tours or have a picnic tea in my dad’s office. I remember coming in one Saturday to watch as new coppers – the boiling part of the process – were being installed. These coppers hold 300 barrels and have to be lifted in by crane. It was awesome. I thought, this is history, my history. And I wanted to play an active part in it.”
Educated in Cheshire before boarding at Rugby, Kershaw was soon helping out at the brewery during school holidays. She would work on a bottling line, climb into open squared fermenters to scrub them clean as well as shadow the professional brewers as they went about their work. “However there was no suggestion that I would just walk into a job,” she says.
“My dad [Richard Kershaw, chairman of Joseph Holt] told me I had to learn the trade elsewhere, from the ground up. That way I could see more of the industry and prove myself among other brewers.”
There followed work for other brewers here and abroad – including a stint as shift brewer with Budweiser UK, where Kershaw was in charge of approximately six million barrels.
After studying at the University of Leeds and completing her work for breweries across the UK and Belgium she joined Joseph Holt in 2017. She is now on the cusp of completing 15 years of exams to become a master brewer – one of the few women to do so in the UK.
According to the earliest evidence, women were once the primary brewers. But by the middle of the 18th century, many women were barred from participating in alcohol production and relegated to roles such as barmaids. It was only in the mid-20th century that women began working in the brewing process again.
A survey last year by Dea Latis, the female beer group, found that more women than ever were drinking beer at home, choosing pints over wine or spirits as they relax in the evening.
“Anyway, beer isn’t just one drink,” explains Kershaw. “There are so many flavours. You could try a light ale, such as our own Northern Hop, or something more treacly like Sixex which we have been making for 100 years. In fact, when people tell me they don’t like beer, I just say, “No, you just haven’t yet found the beer for you.
“I also think it is the responsible drink. Alcohol content in a pint of beer is from three and a half to five per cent. It’s far less than spirits. And if you drink it over, say, one of our roasts or a cheese and onion pie – it’s a wonderful way to enjoy it.”
But whatever the future, Jane Kershaw intends to continue being inspired by the past. “It’s so important to preserve the heritage of brewing through careful use of ingredients. and we are really particular in the brewing process.
“As a family business, I’m so mindful of the Joseph Holt legacy and the history we carry forward to each generation. Beer and pubs are the heart and soul of our country. It is our national identity. For men and for women. Something for us all to treasure.”
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‘I’d love to go into schools and talk to girls about working in the brewing industry’
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