Pink Boots Society presents Witches: the Original Brewers tap takeover/history talk
Pink Boots Portland tap takeover for Portland Beer Week 2022 at Belmont Station
Celebrate the Halloween weekend with Portland’s female-represented breweries and industry players of the trade group Pink Boots Society on Saturday, October 29th. Over a dozen breweries with women representation either behind or in front of the brewhouse will be on tap at women-owned beer bar Neighbors Taproom at 1306 E Burnside St. Portland, OR. Costumes, witch or otherwise, are highly encouraged; raffles and giveaways throughout the night; plus spellbinding prizes for best costume.
Pink Boot Society’s Portland chapter of the international group for female representation will welcome special guest Tiah Edmunson-Morton, Oregon Hops and Brewing Archivist at Oregon State University, who will deliver the lowdown on “Female Brewing and Witchcraft: it’s complicated.” The enchantment takes hold from 4 – 8 p.m. with a portion of proceeds supporting educational scholarships and advancement opportunities for Portland’s women in beer.
Witches: the original brewers?
Pointy hats, broomsticks, black cats – is it a witch or just a 16th century female brewer? Although men have come to dominate today’s beer industry, brewing was widely considered women’s work up until the 1500s. Women, often poor or single, could earn a living by bringing their cauldrons of fermented grain-based beverages to the town square.
But with the onset of the Reformation in Europe and condemnation of witchcraft, female brewers and women in general became easy targets. Some historians claim an overt smear campaign at the time, painting women as witches in order to discredit their reputation and thwart any increased financial independence. And as Pink Boots Society official historian Tara Nurin has recorded, “Depictions of female brewers in art, literature, and pop culture swung negative. Although no one can prove a connection, some historians see clear similarities between brewsters and illustrations selected for anti-witch propaganda. Images of frothing cauldrons, broomsticks (to hang outside the door to indicate the availability of ale), cats (to chase away mice), and pointy hats (to be seen above the crowd in the marketplace) endure today.”
It took 5 long centuries but women today are finally back in the brew house and overseeing some seriously massive steel cauldrons. Portland’s Pink Boots Society chapter members are proud to own, brew for or represent more than 30 breweries across the city.
Pink Boots Portland Tap Takeover Beer List:
Threshold Brewing, Neptune, Baltic Porter
Creekside Brewing, Long Haze of Summer, Hazy IPA
Sasquatch Brewing, Nightfall on Fuji, Black Rice Lager
Leikam Brewing, Major Pom, Pomegranate Blonde Ale
Great Notion Brewing, Booberry Muffin, Fruited Sour
Von Ebert Brewing, A Lesson in Nobility, Pilsner
Gateway Brewing, Hefeweizen
Breakside Brewing collab with Buoy Brewing, Pumpkin Coconut Brown Ale
The Pink Boots Society was launched in 2008 to assist, inspire, and encourage women and/or non-binary individuals in the fermented and alcoholic beverage industry to advance their careers through education.