Finding Community and Education at the 2026 Pink Boots Society Conference
Finding Community and Education at the 2026 Pink Boots Society Conference
In January 2026, I had the amazing opportunity to attend the Biennial Conference in
New Orleans thanks to a scholarship from PBS Houston. I’m so grateful to have
received this opportunity and came back more confident, excited for the industry and
made more friends (and reconnected with old ones!) than I was expecting!
The conference brought together women and non-binary professionals from across all
walks of the fermented beverage industry for two days and centered on education,
networking, and professional development.
As someone who has bounced around the industry as a brewer, microbiologist, and
quality assurance manager, and now a brand ambassador, attending this conference
was a reminder of why I fell in love with fermentation science in the first place. Brewing
can often be demanding and both mentally and physically exhausting work, particularly
for those who are underrepresented. Walking into a room full of people who not only
understood those challenges but actively worked to improve the industry was both
energizing and extremely meaningful for me.
What first stood out immediately about the conference was how intentionally it balanced
technical education with human connection. We heard meaningful stories at the
beginning of each day which could be difficult to hear but then comforting to know you
were surrounded by your peers ready to be there to discuss emotions. The brewing
industry is always evolving quickly, and conferences can sometimes feel solely focused
on innovation, trends, or production efficiency. While those topics absolutely matter,
Pink Boots created an environment where professional growth and community support
were treated as equally important.
The conference agenda reflected the broad scope of modern beverage careers.
Sessions covered technical brewing topics, leadership development, sensory analysis,
and education pathways. Pre-conference opportunities included WSET Level 1 courses
in beer, wine, and spirits, highlighting how interconnected the beverage world has
become. The inclusion of education beyond beer alone was especially important to me
because it reinforced an idea that many professionals are beginning to embrace,
sustainability.
One of the most valuable aspects of the experience was hearing from professionals
working in different sectors of fermentation. Brewers, distillers, sensory scientists,
educators, suppliers, marketers, and quality specialists all brought different perspectives
to the conversation. It reminded me that no matter our role, we are all contributing to the
same larger industry. Production focuses on output, quality focuses on consistency,
sales focuses on growth, and marketing focuses on visibility. Conferences like this
encourage us to reconnect those pieces and recognize how collaborative the industry
truly is.
As someone with a background in quality assurance, I was particularly interested in
seminars around quality practices and sensory (big shoutout to everyone that set those
seminars up, it was a lot of cups!) but also gained a greater understanding of how
breweries also depend on communication, mentorship, and healthy team dynamics.
Some of the most impactful moments I had during the conference were not necessarily
during scheduled sessions, but our mentorship programme introductions, hallway
conversations, and over some amazing Cajun lunches. Hearing others openly discuss
challenges surrounding burnout, imposter syndrome, and workplace culture reinforced
how important organizations like Pink Boots are for hundreds across the world.
The conference also incorporated plenty of networking and exploration opportunities for
all of us! Who could be disappointed with a welcome event at Port Orleans Brewing Co.,
happy hour at Miel Brewing and closing drinkies at Seven Three distilling? Thank you so
much to our of New Orleans hosts that showed us the hospitality of this wonderful city.
These events may seem secondary to the educational programming, but they are often
where some of the strongest friendships begin. Brewing has always been an industry
built on collaboration, and creating welcoming spaces for connection is just as important
for me as technical instruction.
Another major takeaway from the conference for me was the importance of visibility and
representation. The brewing industry has made progress over the years, but there is still
work to do in creating environments where women and non-binary professionals can
thrive. Organizations like Pink Boots exist because access to education and networking
opportunities hasn’t been equal across the industry. Their mission to assist, inspire, and
encourage women and non-binary individuals through education continues to have a
tangible impact and those values were very apparently during the entirety of this
conference.
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What I appreciated most was that the conference did not focus solely on challenges.
The people in those rooms were not there simply to discuss barriers but instead were
there to share experiences, improve their technical knowledge, support one another,
and shape the future of the industry. That distinction matters. Representation is
important not only because it increases diversity, but because it strengthens the quality,
creativity, and resilience of the industry as a whole.
I also left the conference reflecting on how education in brewing extends far beyond
formal classrooms. Some of the most valuable lessons come from conversations with
peers who have faced similar production challenges, navigated seemingly impossible
career decisions, or found ways to build healthier workplace cultures. Conferences
create spaces where knowledge becomes collaborative rather than competitive and I
believe we all went home feeling the better for it!
Returning home after the conference, I found myself feeling reconnected to beer, my
chapter, and the larger international Pink Boots group as a whole! Brewing is equal
parts science, craftsmanship, hospitality, and community. Day to day it can be easy to
focus only on schedules, lab results, production targets, or packaging timelines. Events
like the Pink Boots Conference create an opportunity to zoom out and remember the
human side of the industry.
I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to attend the conference and for everyone
who contributes to making these educational experiences possible. The knowledge I
gained was valuable, but the sense of connection and renewed motivation I left with
may have been even more important. I invite everyone who was unable to attend the
conference to please look at the presentations we got to experience and I hope you get
a bit of my excitement from them that made this conference so wonderful. Thank you
again and cheers to all our fabulous members!