Brewing quality beer the women’s way
International Women's Collaboration Brew Day (IWCBD) is an annual event held on March 8, to coincide with International Women's Day.
It helps to raise awareness of women working in the brewing industry, especially as brewmasters (brewsters).
It is also a chance for women interested in brewing to network with one another.
The event, held at Brewcraft in Jet Park on March 11, saw women (and even a few men) involved in the South African brewing industry come together for a full day of learning, networking and socialising.
In celebration of IWCBD,Thandi Guiherme, Antoinette Phillips and Michelle Erasmus produced their own unique brew.
The brewing methods used on the day included the following, Wendy Pienaar from Just Brewing explained:
* Grainfather: The Grainfather is an all-in-one system that allows brewers to brew all grain beer fairly easily using one piece of equipment.
Guiherme used this technique to brew an African Queen Blonde Ale.
2. Mini-Mash Homebrew: A Mini-Mash Homebrew is a beginner’s way to brew on your stove top in your regular pots and pans. It uses malt extract and a very small amount of grain. It comes as an all-in-one ingredient box from the brew shop.
* Phillips used this technique for her Duvel Belgian Strong Ale.
3. Brew in a Bag: This is similar to a giant tea bag, where grains are placed into a large bag and this is brewed to extract the sugars from the grain. When the sugars have been extracted, usually after an hour or so, the bag is removed and the liquid is boiled. This method is also good for people who still want to brew from their kitchen.
* Erasmus used this technique to brew an India Pale Ale.
There were also three brews on tap, brewed by women: A lager (by Michelle), a Vice Ale (by Thandi) and a Pale Ale (by Wendy).
The women enjoyed talks and discussions and beer tasting.
“Brewing beer is not only a man’s job. Women can also do this job that’s classified as a ‘man only’ industry,” said Wendy.
All proceeds from the event and from the beer sales have been donated to the iMake-a-Difference Rhino Fund.
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