The beer cheerleader
Beth Brash is a self-confessed ‘‘beer cheerleader’’.
Wellington-based, she’s the event manager for Beervana, a two-day event that connects beermakers and beer lovers from around the country.
‘‘I’m basically New Zealand’s biggest beer fan girl and cheerleader,’’ she laughs.
‘‘I have tried a lot of beer over my years, and they say you need 10,000 hours to make an expert, right?
‘‘Facilitating Beervana brings together the whole industry in an enormous celebration of good beer. I’m determined to keep creating an event that works for the brewers and the punters, and brings more people to Wellington from around New Zealand and Australia to show them our beercrazy city!’’
She agrees it’s a maledominated industry, but sees no reason why that should hold anyone back from getting involved.
‘‘It can be tough at times dealing with a few of those old world views, especially as a young female running a beer festival, but I also enjoy schooling them with my beer knowledge and genuine love of this industry.’’
When asked if she is particularly passionate about promoting female brewers or reaching female customers, Brash’s answer is, ‘‘yes and no’’.
‘‘Yes, in the sense that I love it when I meet female brewers and female beer geeks, and I champion them as much as I can.
‘‘There’s so much happening in the industry right now, I would encourage any woman who is interested in beer to get involved any way they can – volunteer your time, start home brewing, meet with brewers, and just put your hand up and say ‘I love beer’, because you don’t know what type of opportunities that can lead to.
‘‘But I also don’t think it should be a ‘thing’ – so often people treat female brewers a bit like they would an exotic animal in a zoo.
‘‘These people are brewers in their own right and they just happen to be women.’’
The beer baroness
It was at a Beervana that pub manager and brewery owner Ava Wilson had an epiphany about her passion for beer, which has since earned her a reputation as one of New Zealand’s female beer gurus – as well as the title of ‘‘Beer Baroness’’, with a boutique brewery of the same name.
‘‘It was my sister who first called me that,’’ says Wilson.
‘‘She nicknamed me the Beer Baroness long before I even began the company. It was because I lived and breathed beer – and still do.’’
The title has stuck, and no one would argue that Wilson hadn’t earned it.
The young mum is general manager of Pomeroy’s in Christchurch, a traditional ‘‘English-style’’ pub with a focus on craft beer. Her brewery is built on to the rear of the building.
‘‘We had recently started putting guest craft beers on tap at Pomeroy’s, so I made the trek to Wellington to Beervana,’’ says Wilson of her life-changing experience. ‘‘It was back when it was a lot smaller and took residence in the Town Hall, but I remember feeling so excited about this industry I was involved in.
‘‘It was young, full of excitement and incredibly passionate people. Needless to say, I drank a lot of beer that day.
‘‘I left on such a high and mostly haven’t come down from it yet.’’
Alongside managing the popular pub, when Wilson found herself in a position ‘‘to create my own wee company’’, she went for it.
‘‘I started small, and with lots of help from far more experienced people. I’m still yet to find myself actually brewing the beer – being a mum got in the way – but we have a very talented full-time brewer.
‘‘I’m hugely passionate about beer and had circumstances been different, I would love to be the brewer too, but right around the time Beer Baroness began, I fell pregnant with my first son.
‘‘I am hoping that once my children are older, I can be more hands-on, but until then I’m the ‘creative’ director.’’
Wilson says that overall, things are ‘‘looking good’’ for women in the industry.
‘‘There are so many incredibly skilled and passionate women in the beer industry. I’m positive that numbers will continue to grow.’’