In partnership with Yakima Chief Hops, Pink Boots Society is very excited to announce the recipients for the special Pink Boots Exclusive Yakima Chief Hops Experiential Trip scholarship: Katie Beaucage, Sharron Bockman, Erica DeAnda, Stephanie Hernandez, and Sarah Real!

Katie Beaucage recently became a Brewer at her dream brewery, Allagash Brewing Company in Portland, Maine. Since joining Pink Boots in 2017, she has participated in three Pink Boots Collaboration Brew Days®, two arm wrestling competitions, and hosted a malt workshop with maltress Andrea Stanley. She was also featured in a “Women of Beer” article in Yankee Brew News. Katie has also recently joined the Pink Boots Collaboration Brew Day® Committee and believes this scholarship will help give her a deeper understanding of hops and the harvesting process to help breweries around the world planning to participate in the 2022 Pink Boots Collaboration Brew Day®. She hopes the information she learns from this trip advances her skillset in the brewery, specifically for the pilot program and recipe development team.

Sharron Bockman is an Assistant Brewer at True Respite Brewing Company, a women owned brewery in Derwood, MD. Although she has only been a Pink Boots member for a year, Sharron has already participated in her first Pink Boots Collaboration Brew Day® where she conceptualized, designed, and brewed the juicy, pink dyed and glitter stuffed “Pink Glittery Boots” Hazy IPA. Sharron is researching and learning about sensory programs, and working to revamp the dry hopping program at her brewery. She believes this scholarship opportunity will provide her with the knowledge to implement sensory and dry hopping best practices for her local beer community. Sharron’s favorite part of the industry is the collaborative and supportive environment, and she is looking forward to the Yakima experiential trip.

As the Head Brewer and sole brewery employee at Tumbled Rock Brewery and Kitchen in Baraboo, WI, Erica “Dee” DeAnda handles every aspect of the brewery including recipe development, brew schedule, cellaring, and everything in between. She has been a Pink Boots member for six years and has hosted four Pink Boots Collaboration Brew Days®. Originally from California, Erica has been extremely active in both the Wisconsin and California Chapters. She believes that continuing her education with this experience will not only benefit her and Tumbled Rock, but also teach the local community about growing, producing, and enjoying the bounty of hops. She looks forward to bringing this knowledge back to their recently planted first small crop of hops near the brewery. Erica is known for advocating for under-represented groups within the beer industry and has been featured in Courage and Other C Words, Madison Magazine, and Wisconsin Public Radio.

Stephanie Hernandez embraces their role as Cellarperson at Federation Brewing in Oakland, CA with joyful enthusiasm and professionalism. Stephanie recently joined the San Francisco Chapter and is very excited to participate in the 2022 Pink Boots Collaboration Brew Day® for the first time. They find joining other women all over the world to create something different together inspiring and empowering. Stephanie believes that anyone can accomplish anything once they set their minds to it and hopes to help other underrepresented people be a part of something bigger. Stephanie is looking forward to getting their hands in the field with farmers at Yakima, face-to-face, to learn more about hops, and dreams of opening their own small brewery and eventually, growing a hop farm to support it.
Sarah Real is a co-founder of the brewery-in-planning, Hot Plate Brewing Co. She recently moved to Berkshires, MA from New York and has joined the Boston Chapter. While living in NY, she participated in the 2018 and 2019 Pink Boots Collaboration Brew Days®, where multiple local breweries worked together to brew on the same day. Sarah placed first in the Bitter British Beer category in the 2021 New York City Homebrewers Guild Homebrew Alley XV for the Easy-Listening Favourites brew. She was also featured on the Brews with Broads, Beer 101: Brewing Process Podcast. Sarah thrives on digging right into every aspect of brewing; she is very interested in how things work and the science behind it. She believes the knowledge gained from this invaluable experience will help advance her education exponentially, not only impacting the brewery she is starting as a solid building block, but will also help her transition into a full-time brewer.
Yakima Chief Hops is excited to offer an exclusive opportunity for five (5) Pink Boots Society members to travel to Yakima Valley for a three (3) day visit hosted by their very own Kelly Lohrmeyer. This trip includes a $500 airline stipend to offset travel costs, three (3) nights of lodging, three (3) lunches, transportation, and Meet & Greet Happy Hour/Dinner at Bale Breaker Brewing Company. Plus, tours of the Brewing, R and D, and Pellet Plant in Yakima as well as tours of the farm and of the new YCR Research Facility. But wait, there’s more! The five recipients will also experience sensory and PBS Hop Rub and Brew a Fresh Hop Beer with Single Hill Brewing!!
