WOTFEST ones to watch - Women On Tap’s 2023 game changers
Written by Emmie Harrison-West
Women belong in beer - except, the beer, brewing and hospitality industry doesn’t always make it seem that way.
Despite beer being in women’s blood, with our foremothers being its very first brewers, we no longer dominate the industry - or feel welcomed in many corners of it.
Misogyny, patriarchal attitudes and sexist stereotypes fuel this inequality, with women and other underrepresented communities being harassed, targeted, ignored or undermined. Sometimes, they’re even in danger.
Small social enterprise, Women On Tap CIC, has a bold vision to help all women thrive in all beer spaces - proving its tagline: ‘women belong in beer.’
‘I want women to belong in beer, to truly belong [...] in drinking spaces and workplaces. Not just exist there, but belong there,’ Women On Tap’s Founder, Rachel Auty, said.
‘We want Women On Tap to take up space on the main stage in beer, so we can highlight the things that need to be addressed to increase awareness and activism among everyone - not only within women in beer circles,’ Auty added.
While this year’s SIBA report revealed that one in three of its member’s workforce identified as female, numbers of female brewers are dwindling - with only 5% of all brewers in the UK being female, less than 3% of the industry’s entire female workforce. This number is unfortunately falling.
Things are undoubtedly tough right now, especially with one in three men believing feminism does more harm than good, and reports of an increase in drinks spiking - but there is hope.
This year, in response to claims of sexual harassment at some of its events, CAMRA introduced its new Festival Code of Conduct - launched at its events across 2023. Women’s beer groups are becoming welcoming, safe spaces across the country, with festivals starting to provide Wellness Officers, and initiatives being born to fund and fight for the repressed.
Determined to keep the conversation going, even after International Women’s Day, Women On Tap launched ‘WOTFEST’. Now in its seventh year, the beer and arts festival showcases and celebrates women who are experts in the beer industry - while also championing breweries with women in key brewing and leadership roles.
In our fight for equality, and a diverse beer, brewing and hospitality industry, we need role models. Game changers that inspire, and lead by example. Too often, women’s stories in beer that make headlines or podcasts are focused around trauma. What happened to us, rather than what is happening with us.
Instead, this year, WOTFEST has chosen 2023’s ‘Ones to Watch’ - in an industry that can feel oppressive, its world changers are there to help with education, and to rally behind.
‘I honestly believe having more women in the beer industry will make for an industry all of us can be incredibly proud of,’ Auty added.
Image credit: Chris Watt Photography.
Sonja Mitchell - founder and MD of Jump Ship Brewing
Jump Ship is Scotland’s first brewery dedicated to making alcohol-free beers, founded by Sonja Mitchell. Inspired by the sea, and sailing, Mitchell loves beers - but hates hangovers, and discovered that many of Scotland’s AF beers weren’t quite up to scratch. She wanted to create a range of delicious beers that wouldn’t give her a hangover the next day - while paying homage to the wide, open ocean.
She ‘jumped ship’ from her day job, and spent nearly a year perfecting Jump Ship’s first beer, Yard Arm - which was awarded the best no and low alcohol lager in 2021’s World Beer Awards.
This year has been big for Jump Ship, too - after successful crowdfunding, Mitchell and her team are waiting for keys to a permanent unit.
‘It’s been a long held dream to have our own brewery, to take control, continue to innovate and push the boundaries of alcohol-free brewing,’ Mitchell said.‘There are still not enough women-owned breweries in the UK, and I'm proud that we're doing our bit to address the balance.’
Jump Ship will deliver on sustainability promises, too - brewing with sustainable biomass and solar energy, saving up to 11.5 tonnes of carbon over the next three years by reducing the miles its beer travels during production.
This year, you can expect more beers, one-offs and collabs from Jump Ship, helping to introduce a whole new set of drinkers to the joys of AF craft beer. It's growing its team and expanding distribution.
‘We will brew better beer and build better businesses if our industry reflects the diversity of the people who drink and enjoy our beer,’ Mitchell said.
‘Beer has a tremendous power to bring people together, and if we do it the right way, we can help contribute towards a more inclusive society where everyone feels welcomed and valued.’
Follow Jump Ship
Amélie Tassin - Founder and Director of Tipple Marketing - Founder of Women in Beer
In 2018, Amélie Tassin launched ‘Beers Without Beards’ - an Edinburgh-based social group for women and NB folk who like good beer, and wanted to drink it in good company. The following year, its Women in Beer Festival was launched.
The Festival isn’t a triggering ‘tick-box’ exercise, but a platform where a diverse range of experts and professionals in the industry are given the floor.
With over 15 years worth of experience, Tassin is a fierce advocate for equality and inclusion - using her company, Tipple Marketing, to help organise workshops and inclusivity training programmes for businesses.
‘Diversity in beer is a matter of safety for people from marginalised groups,’ Tassin said. ‘We know that a lack of diversity can lead to people being undervalued and subjected to increased levels of harassment and bullying.’
But this year especially is an exciting one for Tassin… ‘Following the latest edition of the Women In Beer Festival and the feedback from either our guest speakers and attendees, I've decided to go a bit further in trying to help women work and build a career in the beer industry,’ Tassin said.
In June, Tassin is launching a mentorship programme, dedicated to women of all sectors of the industry (from hospitality to brewing, marketing, chemistry, etc.).
‘The objective is to give women starting either their career or a project in beer, a chance to be paired with a more experienced woman who will be able to give them skills and advice,’ Tassion said.
The pilot programme will run for a year with the results being presented at the next Women in Beer Festival in October 2024, and are currently looking for funding to actively help make the industry more inclusive.
‘To help resolve this problem and give the same opportunities to everyone, it is important for us to redress the gender balance and normalise people from different backgrounds in any way possible,’ Tassin added.
Follow @tassin_am / @tipplemarketing / @wib_fest
Ellie Hudspith - Senior Campaigns Manager at CAMRA and lead staff support for CAMRA’s Inclusion, Diversity and Equality Review Group
It’s been a big year for CAMRA already. After a now-closed pub in Essex hit headlines for displaying racist dolls, CAMRA cut ties immediately - striking it from the coveted ‘Good Beer Guide’. CAMRA stood tall in its fight against discrimination and adversity, affirming its place as a welcoming, inclusive space for all to celebrate good beer, in good pubs.
Plus, afters reports of sexual harassment surfaced after its Great British Beer Festival last year, CAMRA didn’t bury its head under the malts - but released a brand new Festival Code of Conduct.
According to CAMRA, the code ‘seeks to provide an inclusive and welcoming environment in which to enjoy beer and cider - regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, disabilities or socio-economic status.’
The Code has made reporting complaints easier, with ‘clear expectations’ to be accepted by all volunteers and festival goers - expressing that any breach of the Code could lead to removal, barring or expulsion. Nice.
Recent events also triggered its Inclusion, Diversity and Equality Review in 2021, with the group realising that it was vital to assess its policies, procedures, and understand the experiences of underrepresented groups - making beer accessible to all.
Part of this success is attributed to Ellie Hudspith and her team at CAMRA. The Senior Campaigns Manager lead staff support for CAMRA’s Inclusion, Diversity and Equality Review Group.
‘Personally, encouraging diversity has always been important to me, and I have always fought for better representation for women in other parts of my life,’ Hudspith said.
‘It was vital that we listened to those people and looked at our policies, procedures, and understood the experiences of underrepresented groups within the Campaign to make sure we’re being inclusive and welcoming to everyone that wants to get involved,’ Hudspith added.
Though the group has been campaigning for pubs since 1971, CAMRA has flourished in recent years - quick to learn improvements, and make the group a welcoming one to be part of while being DE&I at the forefront of the Campaign.
‘Beer, and the wider licensed trade, are for everyone, and for CAMRA that means taking our responsibility as consumers seriously,’ Hudspith added.
Follow Ellie @elliehudspith (Twitter) / @elliehudders (Instagram)
Follow CAMRA @CAMRA_Official (Twitter) / @campaignforrealale (Instagram) / campaignforrealale (Facebook)
Pip Young - Founder and MD of 30Six Co, and Supreme of The Coven (a project from 30Six)
Determined to reject the white, male-centric demographic of beer, brewing and hospitality, Pip Young set up The Coven in summer 2021 - inspired by her own experiences, and the industry’s ‘#MeToo’ movement.
Not only does The Coven support female-owned beer and breweries, but inspires real change by being the birthplace of the Wellness Officer scheme - an initiative launched to safeguard women at beer festivals and events that are hotbeds for sexism and harassment.
Launched at Leeds Beer Festival in September 2022, Wellness Officers are first aid and mental health trained, with additional training in active-bystanding - appearing at beer festivals and events across the country.
‘Diversity in beer is hugely important to inspire everyone to not only be part of the beer scene, but to work in the beer industry itself,’ Young said. ‘If you can see it; you can do it.’
‘Diversity can honestly lead to greater outcomes in terms of creativity, innovation, empathy and social cohesion, so why wouldn't every employer want that for their business?’ Young added.
This year, The Coven is getting ready to launch a new merchandise range, dropping in summer - before appearing at Leeds International Beer Festival in early September, which is shaping up to be even bigger than last year.
‘And we’re hoping to start next year with a more international vibe as we look across the pond! All very exciting stuff,’ Young said.
Follow @30sixco / @thecoven.w.o.p (Instagram)
Image credit: Katie Noble.
Nix Prabhu - Founder, Glasladies Beer Society
Set up over three years ago, The Glasladies Beer Society is a community of beer-loving women and non-binary people in Glasgow - founded by Nix Prabhu.
‘When I moved to Glasgow from Toronto, I lost all my beer drinking buddies and especially missed all my beer gals,’ Prabhu, the Scottish Beer Awards judge said.
‘The group came out of a selfish need to expand my circle and meet local women who liked and drank beer. I knew that a women's beer group existed in Edinburgh, but couldn't find anything similar locally, so I just started my own,’ Prabhu added.
Glasladies’ aims to engage with, educate and empower women and non-binary people who enjoy drinking beer - inspiring them to play a more active role in the industry as consumers and agents for change.
‘What began as a way to meet other beer-loving women has, over the past 3.5 years, gone from being monthly meetups for a few locals, to partnering on collabs with local breweries, championing local pubs and venues, collaborating on beers, raising vital funds for local charities, and even organising Glasgow’s first women-run beer festival,’ Prabhu said.
This year, the group will be attending Fox Fest, a local beer festival as a group in June and are looking forward to a re-release of its collaboration brew with Simple Things Fermentations in July.
‘Our Oktoberfest meetup at the Bavaria Brauhaus is always popular with group members,’ Prabhu added. ‘There are also plans underway for a trip to Manchester in November, to celebrate our 4th birthday.
‘We have contacted the local chapter of the Crafty Beer Girls and will be coordinating a meet-up of both groups. I'm sure that will be a weekend to remember!’ Prabhu said.
Follow Insta: @glasladiesbeersociety, Twitter: @glasladiesbeer
Lorraine Copes, Founder and CEO of Be Inclusive Hospitality CIC
Set up by Lorraine Copes in 2020, Be Inclusive Hospitality CIC is a not-for-profit organisation, accelerating race equity within hospitality, food, and drink
‘The inspiration for setting the business up was my lived experience, having a two-decade-long career, working for the likes of Gordon Ramsay, Corbin & King and Shake Shack as an executive leader,’ Copes said.
‘It was founded due to the lack of representation of diverse leaders within positions of influence and the supply chain,’ Copes added.
Now, it ignites much-needed conversations about diversity and equality in hospitality, delivering initiatives to advance change within hospitality, food, and drink sectors.
To date, initiatives have supported 2,050 employees and founders with mentorships, grant funding, scholarships, and events.
Be Inclusive Hospitality also launched in Birmingham this April, supported by scholarships and events for minoritised groups within the sector - building a presence outside of London.
Plus, this October, the group’s second Spotlight Awards will take place at M Threadneedle, with awards seeking to spotlight exceptional talent from Black, Asian, and ethnic minority backgrounds across 15 award categories.
Copes is also a judge for Guild of Fine Foods Great Taste Awards, UberEats Restaurant Awards, and the British Guild of Beer Writers Awards - named the GQ Food & Drink Innovator of the year last year.
Follow @beinclusivehospitality (Instagram) | Website
Della Claydon and Elysia O'Neill, Co-Founders of The Egalitarian
After reports of drink spiking have shockingly increased year-on-year since 2016, with one in 10 women saying they’ve had their drink spiked - Della Claydon and Elysia O’Neill wanted to take action.
The duo set up The Egalitarian, now a 12-strong team that works to create a fairer society through community-led, data-driven projects and training - including certification for the night time economy, keeping people safe and helping businesses to thrive.
Makers of Spike Report, and The Safe Place Project, the group helps bars, pubs, clubs, events and festivals keep staff and customers safe by delivering training on how to tackle inappropriate behaviour that women regularly experience on a night out.
‘Diversity in the beer industry is imperative,’ Claydon said. ‘Without it we continue to have a lack of representation from all minority groups within society, meaning key issues such as the gender pay gap, sexual violence within the work place and night time economy - as well as unequal treatment for having children remain undervalued and intangible.
‘Creating a diverse beer industry will directly result in establishing an inclusive one that values the opinions, perspectives and views of all people within society,’ Claydon added.
Everything The Egalitarian does is a direct result of the voices of those that are often overlooked - with the aim of eradicating victim-blaming.
‘We set up Spike Report and The Safe Place Project to put a bigger onus on the venues to keep people safe on a night out, but also question perpetrator's actions instead of victims,’ Claydon said.
‘We were inspired by the amount of victims of sexual violence and spiking that reached out to us to talk about their experiences in the night time economy,’ Claydon added.
Since setting up The Egalitarian, the group has created a community that is comfortable to speak to each other about raising awareness of the problems within the industry, and night-life in general - helping people easily and unashamedly report issues of spiking to add to a national database.
‘We’re now running our own events in the night time economy out of venues that have been certified under the Safe Place Project, performers at the events are women and marginalised gender creating an environment of diversity and inclusion,’ Claydon added.
Follow Insta: _theegalitarian / Twitter: @_theegalitarian / TikTok: @_theegalitarian
Emma Inch, Freelance Writer and Audio Maker
The COVID-19 pandemic touched us all, and has left its mark both on our favourite drinking haunts, and on our minds. While many of us perhaps still grieve the lives we once had, the topic of mental health no longer became taboo - with more people opening up about how they really felt, deep down,
Beer industry legend, freelance writer and audio maker, Emma Inch, is determined to bring that conversation into the mainstream this year with her new podcast, ‘Same Again?’.
As well as a regular Good Beer Guide contributor for CAMRA books, author and multi-award winner, Inch’s career has intertwined with all things mental health. ‘Prior to becoming a writer, I worked as a frontline mental health professional for more than 20 years,’ Inch said,
‘Towards the end of my practice career, I was a specialist social worker, working with people in mental health crisis,’ Inch said, adding that she still continues to work as a university academic, specialising in mental health.
Her new podcast, ‘Same Again?’ explores the link between mental health, beer and pubs. ‘From the impact of alcohol on anxiety to the role pubs can play in improving our mental health; from getting help when you feel suicidal, to exploring positive mental health initiatives within the beer world, this podcast will attempt to provide informed answers, and spark ongoing discussion about this important subject,’ she said.
‘In the past, I have sometimes doubted that the two sides of my work life have much in common, but the longer I work around beer and pubs, the more I see overlaps and echoes,’ Inch added. ‘The stresses of COVID and the economic crisis have served to exacerbate these links and make this a very timely moment to begin facilitating some important conversations about beer, pubs and mental health.’
The much-needed podcast is aimed at anyone who likes beer, and is interested in learning more about mental health - with Inch open to your stories, news and ideas.
‘True diversity means not simply facilitating the visibility of different people, but working towards true representation and a real sharing of power,’ Inch said. ‘It's not a 'once and done' process; it requires constant work. Beer is the most convivial of drinks, enjoyed across history and throughout human civilisation.
‘Rather than leaving some people out, it should be something that draws us all together.’
Follow Twitter - @fermentradio / Insta - @fermentationradio / Website / Patreon
This year’s WOTFEST will celebrate these women, and more - reaffirming that women belong in beer, and deserve safe spaces beyond International Women’s Day.
But the conversation needs to continue - to roar on, helping engage, empower and educate people about the importance of a diverse, inclusive beer and hospitality industry.
To show their support, consumers (that’s you!) need to invest in initiatives, campaigns and breweries that have their best interests at heart. Buy from female-, LGBTQIA+- and Black-owned breweries. Educate other drinkers - and businesses - on the importance of being bystanders, and calling out harassment.
Everyone who has the ability to purchase and savour a pint is a key player in making the industry a better place to exist in - and the battle will rage on, with or without you.