Pink Boots Society in partnership with Yakima Chief Hops is excited to announce the recipients for the Yakima Chief Hops and Brew School scholarship, Susie Bennett and Elizabeth Good.

Susie Bennett is the Quality Assurance Analyst and Microbiologist at Motorworks Brewing in Bradenton, FL. She became interested in the complex science behind craft brewing while studying as a biology undergraduate. Susie brought her experience and skills she learned as a biotechnologist and researcher when she made the jump to the brewing industry making herself useful in nearly every aspect of the brewing process. Susie thinks the Yakima Chief Hops and Brew School will allow her to educate and empower underrepresented groups by eliminating barriers by means of making the language and resources accessible. Check out her blog Susie on Tap where she shares what navigating the craft beer world is like through the eyes of a scientist.

Elizabeth “Betsi” Good is the Head Kombucha Brewer at Four Corners Brewing Company in Dallas, TX. As the head brewer, she is responsible for many aspects of the brewing process, including her most recent project of creating a kettle sour recipe for the 2021 Pink Boots Collaboration Brew Day® along with several other collaborations supporting the North Texas Chapter and other local breweries. She enjoys the opportunity to educate others about brewing and believes the Yakima Chief Hops and Brew School will expand her ability to help her do just that. Betsi was recently a guest on the Craft Beer Professionals’ Tuesday Talks focusing on supporting parents in the workplace.

Hops and Brew School® is an annual event offering craft brewers the opportunity to personally experience the thrill of the American hop harvest in Yakima and see exactly where your great beer begins. Led by industry experts, multi-generational hop growers, and our technical solutions specialists, this multi-day event includes technical seminars on product usage, recipe formulation, experimental varieties, brewing practices, and more.

Pink Boots Society is excited to announce the recipient for the 2021 Briess Malt & Ingredients Co., Malt and Brew School scholarship Kimberly Pollock.

Kimberly Pollock is the Head of Production at Camino Brewing Company in San Jose, CA where she is responsible for all aspects of production including, but not limited to recipe development, ordering ingredients, brewing, cellar work, and packaging. On top of all that, she is also responsible for training two aspiring brewers while developing an educational sensory program and standard operating procedures for all brewing and cellaring tasks. Kimberly believes the knowledge and understanding from the Briess Malt and Brew Workshop will give her the tools needed to create quality beers. She looks forward to sharing this knowledge with her community of women in fermentation. 

Briess Malt & Brew Workshop is an onsite course in October 2021 in Chilton and Manitowoc, WI. The Malt & Brew Workshop kicks off with a welcome reception followed by two days of seminars and hands-on learning at various facilities. Attendees can look forward to focused workshops on-base grains, specialty grains, sensory evaluation, malt house tours, and brewery tours. This scholarship is designed for brewhouse production staff wishing to understand further working with malted barley and other grains to create beer.  

Pink Boots Society in partnership with Cicerone is excited to announce the recipient for the Road to Cicerone® scholarship Isabella Perez.

Isabella “Bella” Perez is a Cellar Person and Canning Line Operator at Device Brewing Company in Sacramento, CA. This year she led their first Pink Boots Collaboration Brew Day® supporting the Sacramento Chapter by brewing a Hazy IPA named The Real Boss released in April. Bella hopes to open a farmhouse brewery with fresh fruits and vegetables that will provide fermentables and fresh produce for patrons as well as local microflora. She dreams to support events such Tap Takeovers by local LGBTQ+ community members, hosting open mic nights, and provide summer internships for females who are interested in learning more about mixed fermentation, hard work, and their own passion for creating new recipes.

The Road to Cicerone® course is a collection of beer styles and processes that will help the reader prepare for the Certified Cicerone® exam. The course is a mixture of books and quizzes. The course books will teach and lend insight into reasons and processes. For example, the brewing process of the course book will help brewers to better understand the brewing process and how brewers come to their decisions. The keeping and serving beer course will help with the front of house, ensuring nothing is being improperly handled between the brewery and the taproom.

Pink Boots Society is proud to announce the recipients for the White Labs scholarships: Annamaria Deganutti, Jodi Hunter, and Ann Sandbrook!

After attending a Women In Beer panel in 2019, Annamaria Deganutti, Assistant Brewer at Brasserie BLEUE, was inspired to organize a special International Women’s Collaboration Brew Day in 2020. Unfortunately, the co-organized International Women’s Day event was canceled due to COVID-19 and local restrictions, but the delicious beer, Les Parleuses, remains a headliner to this day. Annamaria also organized the 2020 Home Brewing Competition in Alpes-Maritimes, France, and is excited to have been selected to organize the 2021 competition by the local brewers’ association, Brasseurs Indépendants des Alpes-Maritimes. She believes the White Labs – Sour Beer: Alternative Microbes and Fermentation Techniques course will provide her with the knowledge of wild and non-traditional yeast so she could eventually brew her own sour beers. 

Since October 2019, Jodi Hunter has been the Assistant Brewer at CCVK – Compañia de Cervezas Valle del Kahs in Madrid, Spain where she has faced several challenges since the beginning with a language barrier, but that hasn’t stopped her from learning the many aspects of brewing Spanish style craft beers. She feels that identifying and communicating fermentation is invaluable and essential, and is very excited about the White Labs – Many Flavors of Fermentation course. Jodi hopes to bring this knowledge and apply these principles within the American craft beer industry upon her return to the United States. She believes the key to success is through education and knowledge.

Ann Sandbrook, currently a Lab Specialist, has been working at Virginia Tech Analytical Services Lab in Blacksburg, Virginia since 2011. In addition to using TTB and AOAC testing methods on fermented beverages and working daily to troubleshoot quality problems with members, Ann also supports educational workshops both independently and in partnership with MBAA and ASBC. While she is familiar with analytical and sensory testing, she is looking forward to expanding her knowledge to brewing production. She plans to use her experience from White Labs – Reusing Yeast: Getting the Most from Your Culture course to elevate within the brewing industry and continue to provide educational opportunities by sharing her knowledge through industry workshops and events.

White Labs – Sour Beer: Alternative Microbes and Fermentation Techniques: From traditional spontaneous fermentation to inoculation techniques and overviews of the major organisms used and found in sour beer we’ll review the behavior of select organisms and how to best utilize them in a sour program.

White Labs – The Many Flavors of Fermentation: The ability to effectively communicate fermentation attributes is crucial in brewing business. Through the use of video, slides, narration, and quizzes, this online class will explore ways to describe yeast-influenced flavor/aroma compounds, how yeast can manipulate other ingredients, and ways to establish brand identity through sensory. Students will develop a comprehensive vocabulary and the ability to clearly communicate fermentation profiles to staff and customers alike.

White Labs – Reusing Yeast: Getting the Most from Your Culture: Consistent fermentations and high-quality beer begin with healthy yeast and consistent pitch-rates. Join Joe Kurowski, White Labs head of brewing operations, in this course, which offers an in-depth look at how to best harvest and store yeast for optimal performance. Explore various fermentation-related topics such as pitch rates, best practices when looking at yeast health and ideal conditions for yeast storage. Ideal for staff who works in the cellar, this course also provides content that everyone working in a brewery setting should understand.

Pink Boots Society in partnership with Crafting A Strategy is excited to announce the recipient(s) for the one year membership to Crafting A Strategy scholarship: Cindy Le, Kayley Weston, Sierra Sininger, Lucia Carillo, and Elle Thomas.

Cindy has come a long way in the industry and is now the Director of Operations at Almanac Beer Co. in Alameda, CA. After building out the production facility from the ground up, Cindy learned that she could achieve more when feeling supported by her supervisors that foster a healthy workplace culture. It is a dream of hers to do the same for others in the industry, to create a space that is inclusive and safe, “and to become a voice for those who don’t have a seat at the table yet.” She hopes to open a brewery that actively invites and welcomes those who are not represented enough in the industry. Cindy coordinated a fundraiser at Almanac to benefit Asian community organizations in a stand against anti-Asian bigotry and urged local business to join in. 

Kaley is a manager and assistant brewer at Spark Beer in Ontario, Canada. Even though she is a new PBS member, her involvement has been substantial starting with being the team lead for her first Pink Boots Collaboration Brew Day® and she also created the video highlighting the 2021 brews. Kaley has her Cicerone Level 1: Certified Beer Server certification and is actively preparing for Cicerone Level 2: Certified Cicerone. She has coordinated virtual tastings for the Canada Chapter which has helped spark her growing interest in brewing science with aspirations of becoming a head brewer. When she is not on the hot side of production, Kaley is running the taproom at the microbrewery.

Sierra wears many hats as the Taproom Manager at Snake Lake Brewing Company in Alberta, Canada. She began her beer journey at Snake Lake as a beer tender, receiving her latest promotion in November of last year. In her new role she shares her beer and brewing knowledge with fellow employees and customers, in addition to running the social media platforms and conducting brewery tours. Sierra is not afraid to get her hands dirty by stepping up and helping in the cellar and packaging. She has also test batched and brewed a full scale batch for the 2021 Pink Boots Collaboration Brew Day. She has had the honor of brewing and serving some of her own beer recipes on tap, most notably a Pina Colada IPA which sold out in less than 24 hours. With a background in Anthropology, her passion for brewing and beer as an artform drives her desire to learn everything she can. Sierra is actively seeking to expand her knowledge in beer history and hopes to travel to these noteworthy destinations.

Lucia is the Brew Master at Cerveceria 100 Octanos in Mexico City. When Lucia is not writing recipes and perfecting her craft, she is actively seeking to grow awareness of craft brewing and of women in beer, and more specifically of Pink Boots Society in Mexico. She has a passion for the diverse dynamic of brewing ingredients and wants to keep improving her skills as a brewer to make the best beer. One of her many goals is to let women know that beer is not only for men and that they can excel in all aspects of the industry. ¡Salud y buena suerte en lograr tus metas!

Gabrielle’s “Elle” curiosity of beer began in Germany, saying at the time she did not realize she was tasting some of the best brews in the world. This experience has led her down a road to learn as much as possible about the science of beer. Elle is the founder of AirBrewNB. If you’re finding yourself in the Austin, TX area and not quite sure what to do or where to go Elle is your go to for the best Austin has to offer. A driving force behind her company was to make the beer scene inclusive and diverse, not all beer tours have to be a wild party bus. Elle incorporates educational components of beer such as history and tasting guides – some tours offered in Spanish and Sign Language. 

Crafting A Strategy (CAS) is a global online learning platform that will be available to the scholarship recipients from August 15, 2021 – August 15, 2022. Used in universities and breweries all over the world, CAS has over 150 digital content pieces specific to the business needs of brewing entrepreneurs. These include podcasts, webinars, case studies, white papers, instructional videos, blogs, and a professional forum. Scholarship recipients will receive access to all CAS content and forums for one calendar year and they will also receive a weekly CAS newsletter with industry analysis, advice, and links to new content and forums. This scholarship is designed for those owning or planning a brewery, company presidents, CEOs, COOs, CFOs, marketing professionals, head brewers, and sales strategists. Please see below for Required Applicant Qualifications.

Pink Boots Society is proud to announce the recipient for the OSU: Beer Quality and Analysis Series: Microbiology and Beer Analysis for the Brewer and Quality Assurance scholarship Loy Maierhauser.

Loy’s ongoing tenacity, passion, and dedication have driven her from the front of the house to the production team, as she is one to wear many hats at MAP Brewing Company in Bozeman, MT. including most recently becoming an assistant brewer. Loy has always been passionate about quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) and learned the importance of having quality programs when she became a BJCP Certified Judge and Cicerone Certified. Check out the Cicerone blog to read more about her Cicerone experience. She believes OSU Beer Quality and Analysis Series scholarship will provide her with more lab-based, critical knowledge and skills to succeed in developing a full QA/QC program. Loy enjoys sharing her knowledge and skills by presenting multiple times at Brewers’ Guild Conferences and PBS Chapter meetings, teaching beer education courses, guest lecturing at her local college, and serving as a virtual mentor for women of color in the brewing industry. She also loves being secretary of the Montana Chapter and hopes to be a positive influence by facilitating ways to learn together and inspire local members.

With one of the top fermentation science research programs in the world, Oregon State University is proud to offer a comprehensive series of world-class beer brewing science courses for professional and advanced hobbyist brewers: Microbiology and Beer Analysis for the Brewer and Quality Assurance. The online Beer Quality and Analysis Series course teaches the fundamentals of basic microbiology and its role in the brewing process, and gives the tools to analyze and evaluate beer to influence quality control in a production brewing setting.

Pink Boots Society and D.G. Yuengling & Son, Inc. are excited to announce the 2020 Diversity in Brewing Scholarship recipient, Victoria Rooney! This scholarship was created to support individuals from underrepresented groups who are passionate about the brewing/fermentation industry and looking to further their education, technical skills and knowledge, and leadership skills. The educational offerings that were included in this scholarship are: PA College of Technology Brewing & Fermentation Science Program, University of South Florida Brewing Arts Program, HACC Brewing Sciences Certificate Program, Philadelphia University of the Sciences Brewing Science Certificate, Siebel Institute WBA Concise Course in Brewing Technology, and the eCornell University Women in Leadership Certificate.

Joining the Pink Boots Society has opened Victoria Rooney’s eyes to a whole new world of opportunities, especially during her first Pink Boots Collaboration Brew Day®, where she met more women brewers and brewery owners than she ever could have imagined. Victoria holds several roles at Wolf Branch Brewery, including taproom manager, cellar woman, social media and events coordinator, and bartender. In 2019, she earned the “Best Bartender” award, along with Wolf Branch Brewing as the Best Craft Brewery from Lake and Sumter County Best of the Best. Victoria aspires to become a head brewer and dreams of one day opening her own brewery. She believes that this course will provide her with the professional knowledge and confidence required to make the transition to brewery operations and to be well-rounded in the craft brewing Industry. She is passionate about helping women to have a strong and respectable presence and looks forward to sharing what she learned with other members of Pink Boots Society.

D.G. Yuengling & Son, Inc. is America’s Oldest Brewery and is family owned and operated still today. In its 5th and 6th generations of continuous family ownership, Yuengling’s mission is to thrive as an iconic American company that is committed to its employees, produce exceptional products for consumers to enjoy, and for their distributor partners to champion. Yuengling’s strong culture is driven by its family and employees — and by its shared values of pride, integrity and simplicity. Yuengling respects tradition and hard work and is proud to provide superior products and service to its customers.

The Pink Boots Society is excited to announce the five Crafting A Strategy national recipients: Shalanda Jackson, Melisa Lizarraga, Liliana Madrid, Josefina Rosario, and Callie Tuschen.

Shalanda Jackson joined the Philadelphia Chapter last summer and immediately started attending as many Pink Boots meetings and activities as possible. She participated in the Yakima Chief Hops Blend 2021 Zoom call, where the hops were selected for the 2021 Pink Boots Collaboration Brew Day®. She has now taken on an additional volunteering role within Pink Boots as a member of the Membership Task Force. Shalanda believes that the Crafting A Strategy membership is a great learning opportunity because it is a global online learning platform that will allow her to have more insight into the brewing industry. One of her professional goals is to take her career overseas, and this membership will help make that goal a reality. She is also looking forward to attending the USciences Brewing Science Certification program in the fall of 2021 to further her brewing education.

Melisa Lizarraga began her craft brewing journey in 2015 at Thirsty Monk Brewery, where she achieved her Cicerone Level 1: Certified Beer Server Certificate. Shortly after, she moved to Colorado and joined Cerberus Brewing Company when they first opened their doors. She was responsible for coordinating with the assistant brewer to create an educational program for staff. In the spring of 2020, she moved to Montana, where she is currently an assistant manager at Cranky Sam Public House. Melisa has brought her previous knowledge and experience to help educate staff by providing resources and even created a Beer 101 guide. She recently started to write for a state-wide beer magazine, Montana Craft Beer Connection, where she will coordinate with the editor to create a quarterly piece featuring women and other minorities in the brewing industry. Melisa feels like the Crafting A Strategy membership is not only an investment in herself but also an investment in her community and that the tools she will gain from this opportunity will help her be a better educator.

Liliana Madrid is a first-generation Mexican-American born and raised in California until she moved to Midwest about three years ago. At that time, her new home had only one brewery, and the nearest Pink Boots Chapter was over 100 miles away. Despite the 4+ hour drive, her first interaction with the Chapter was during their Pink Boots Collaboration Brew Day®, and she couldn’t wait to share what she had learned as well as their creation with her new brewery when she returned. She is currently a Beertender at Jackson Street Brewery, which is now 1 of 3 (and counting!) breweries in Sioux City, IA. She believes that the Crafting A Strategy membership will help her grow alongside these up-and-coming breweries and help bridge the gaps between gender inequalities and minority representation, not only locally but also within the entire beer industry. She looks forward to working more closely with other women in the brewing field and gaining more knowledge to bring communities together.

Josefina Rosario-Simone grew up in the Dominican Republic, where she learned many life lessons through an islander’s lens. At a young age, she was told that she had physical barriers and was told that any expressive profession would not be worthwhile. Still, the island life taught her to have a positive “can-do attitude” and strive for a way for her to express herself. She studied as an architect to find an “approved” profession where she could express herself through art, but she was left craving more. In 2009, she moved to Spain and learned what life was like off the island. She now has had more opportunities to connect with different regions and to experience different cultures’ perspectives, and she was now able to travel around Europe, particularly in Belgium, where her exchange-student sister lived. Josefina moved to the U.S. and took her first homebrewing class in 2017. With the ability to design her own recipes, she has found new ways to express herself through beer. She truly believes that beer is an art form, an expression, and should not be limited to culture, race, or gender. Josefina aspires to inspire more females in the brewing industry, particularly within Pink Boots and the Latina Community worldwide. She is currently a beertender at Four City Brewery in New Jersey.

Callie Tuschen is co-owner of Buffalo Ridge Brewing Project, a 5-barrel brewery located in Hartford, South Dakota. After being open for only a year, Buffalo Ridge Brewing Project was recognized for its charitable giving and was named Hartford’s Chamber of Commerce: 2020 Business of the Year! They are very community orientated and are both pet and family-friendly. Callie has been called “a mover and a shaker” by local community members, which she believes is due to her passion for putting people first, and stepped into a “community leader” role without even realizing it. The Crafting A Strategy membership stood out to her as an incredible resource to help guide her through the new adventure of owning a brewery. Callie believes that she will gain the confidence and knowledge to help put Buffalo Ridge Brewery on the map for leadership, innovation, and community-focused growth. She also a pioneer by helping start the Pink Boots South Dakota Chapter.

Crafting A Strategy (CAS) is a global online learning platform available to scholarship recipients for one year. Used in universities and breweries worldwide, CAS has over 150 digital content pieces specific to the business needs of brewing entrepreneurs. These include podcasts, webinars, case studies, white papers, instructional videos, blogs, and a professional forum. Scholarship recipients will also receive a weekly CAS newsletter with industry analysis, advice, and links to new content and forums.

In partnership with Siebel Institute of Technology, the Pink Boots Society is pleased to announce the 2020 scholarship recipient of the World Brewing Academy Concise Course in Brewing Technology scholarship, Isabel Gareau of Swamp Head Brewery.

While studying photochemistry, Isabel decided to take an elective course on craft beer and brewing during her senior year at Cornell University, which dramatically changed her career plans. Once she cancelled her grad school applications, she began working towards becoming a brewer and is happy to say that she has not looked back! She has moved up from the canning line all the way to the brew deck and is currently a Cellarperson at Swamp Head Brewery in Gainesville, FL. With her distinctly scientific background, she is highly interested in applying biological and chemical principles to her brewing process. She believes that the Siebel Institute of Technology World Brewing Academy Concise Course in Brewing Technology will help advance her scientific understanding of the brewing process, allowing her to integrate her applied skills supported by a scholastic theory. She dreams of becoming a head brewer and eventually operating an independent, botanically-focused craft brewery and creating a line of beverages that incorporate plant medicines.

The WBA Concise Course in Brewing Technology is an intensive three-month course directed to women who desire to enhance their knowledge of brewing technology or are preparing for advanced-level programs like IBD Diploma and Master Brewer exams. This course is intermediate level so applicants would greatly benefit from existing knowledge of brewing processes and/or related sciences.

The Pink Boots Society is excited to announce Marian Ietsugu as the Road to Cicerone Book Suite recipient.

Formally from Brazil, Marian studied as a food engineer and obtained a Beer Sommelier certification from Doemens. Five years ago, Marian moved to Tokyo, Japan, where her paternal grandparents originated. Since moving to Japan, she has worked as an assistant brewer at two breweries, Devil Craft Brewery and Distant Shores Brewing Co. Her goal is to become a head brewer and she dreams of opening her own brewery someday. She is inspired by local women brewers and hopes to connect with other current and aspiring female brewers though Pink Boots Society. She looks forward to learning from other Pink Boots members’ experiences as well as passing on what she has learned from her own experiences.

The Road to Cicerone® course is a collection of beer styles and processes that will help the reader prepare for the Certified Cicerone® exam. The course is a mixture of books and quizzes. The course books will teach and lend insight into reasons and processes. For example, the brewing process of the course book will help brewers to better understand the brewing process and how brewers come to their decisions. The keeping and serving beer course will help with the front of house, ensuring nothing is being improperly handled between the brewery and the taproom.