Pink Boots Society News
January 10, 2008 - Issue #2 | |
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Greetings!
Welcome to the 2nd Pink Boots Society e-newsletter. (The last newsletter went out on December 5, 2007.)
Lab techs, packagers, beer writers and suppliers, be sure to keep reading as there may be membership changes coming that effect you.
If you send me feedback, please be patient as I am quite far behind in my other committments due to our move to a new city and a currently chaotic life.
Thank you for your interest and/or participation in the Pink Boots Society (PBS) !
Cheers, Teri |
| Head Count |
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 How Many Are We?
Currently Brewing: US Women Brewers & Fermenters: 50
Formerly Brewing: US Women Brewers & Fermenters: 16
Currently Brewing: International Women Brewers & Fermenters: 22
Anybody can subscribe to the Pink Boots Society e-news. The last issue went out to 58 subscribers. This issue is going out to 131 subscribers. Both women and men are interested in supporting women brewers.
Please Note: This list is not conclusive! I only have two woman brewers from a large national-brand brewery so far. |
| Events Calendar |
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| Pink Boots Society Functions
As an order of business during our first meeting at the CBC in April, we will vote on when you want meetings to occur.
I recommend the big annual meeting be held during the GABF so officers are voted in before the end of the calendar year. Also, it seems to me that more brewers attend the GABF than the CBC.
April 19, 2008 - 11:30 am - Business & Social Meeting and Lunch during the CBC. (See next section for details.)
September 2008 - Second Business & Social Meeting during GABF.
September - Thereafter annual meetings at GABF. |
| San Diego Meeting Update |
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 Lunch, Beer & Business Meeting
Laura Ulrich (on right in photo), brewer at Stone Brewing in San Diego, has been working closely with Jessica Gilman, brewer at Gordon Biersch Brewery, on our first meeting.
The date and time have been set with input from Nancy Johnson, Director of the Craft Brewers Conference (CBC), which will be held in San Diego. (Sat. April 19, 2008 at 11:30 am. Any time change notifications will be via this e-newsletter.)
Jennifer Aahl, in charge of special events at Gordon Biersch, has reserved a private room for us and is working on the menu. So far it looks yummy with an appetizer of Crispy Artichoke Hearts, a Marzen Strawberry Salad, four entree selections including choice of three different chicken dishes or grilled ahi salad, finished with Pink Boots Cheesecake. The menu may change.
Jennifer is keeping the price down for us. Currently it stands at $25 per head, including taxes, tip and gratuity. This is a very good deal for a meal, meeting room, and no corkage fees! (We are each responsible for our own meal at this meeting.)
Yes, Gordon Biersch is waiving corkage fees, so you can bring your beers to share. So far, Gordon Biersch and Stone Brewing are supplying beer. These two breweries are going all out for us.
Frankly, I can't wait to taste an overview of what women are brewing in the USA, even worldwide if we get some International attendees.
We hope to have the room from 11:00 am - 4:30 pm, so that once lunch and voting are done, we can stay and socialize and drink each other's beers. Actual hours will be forthcoming in a future e-newsletter.
In case I hadn't stressed it, every brewer listed on the Pink Boots Society webpage is invited as a voting member. Also, women beer writers are invited to document this historic event. We hope that some of the writers will bring women photographers with them. Just send me the names and numbers.
If you plan to attend , I will need you to send me your name and contact information.
I have estimated 30-40 women, but I really don't know the count yet. The sooner I can get a head count, the better. If you plan to attend, please let me know.
The GABF/October 2008 meeting may have more women in attendance. Depending on what YOU decide for membership requirements, there may be women lab techs and packagers in attendance, as well as many women working at the large national breweries.
Additionally, depending on what YOU decide for potential auxilliary membership, the women beer suppliers (ie: hops, malt, yeast, etc.) may be invited as sponsors to the GABF meeting. We want to keep our expenses down so as to avoid having to collect dues, and sponsorships may help with that.
If you are a Denver-based woman brewer, and you are excited to meet other women brewers and taste their beers, please volunteer to help with the October/GABF meeting!
Save the Date:
Saturday April 19
11:30 am - 1:30 pm (Introductions, lunch & business)
1:30 pm - 4:30 pm (Social time for fun and beer)
Please note: The exact time may change. You'll be updated via this e-newsletter only, so if you haven't subscribed, please do so. |
| Editorial |
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| Getting the Group Organized
The hot topic is getting a complete list of women brewers. If you're not sure I have your email and work phone number, please send them to me pronto.
Eventually I would like emails and work phone numbers for everyone on the list. A copy of this contact list will be provided to voting members for personal and professional networking only. (ie: not for distribution to the boss or any other non-member.)
The goal is to provide a copy of this networking contact list to every woman brewer present at the April meeting. I can only put that together if I have your email and work phone number. Thanks! |
| Favorite Quotations |
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By Famous Women 
"Rose-colored glasses are never made in bifocals. Nobody wants to read the small print in dreams." ~Ann Landers
Photo, L to R: Teri Fahrendorf (Road Brewer) and Whitney Thompson (Troegs Brewing Co.) |
| Meeting Agenda |
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| Agenda for April 19th Meeting
To expedite decision making, only the members present at the meeting will be eligible to vote.
1. The most important business item to be decided at this meeting, is to vote on the conditions or requirements for membership:
YOU, the current and former brewers and cellarwomen, are the current voting members. I am only the founder. The Pink Boots Society is YOUR group, so you must decide what form the Society takes.
I have had requests to include women brewery lab techs and packagers. I have also received requests from women suppliers (ie: yeast and other brewing raw materials) and women beer writers.
Perhaps an auxiliary membership group that could help us with our goals? Women suppliers may be willing to sponsor meetings or someday, a scholarship for new women brewers to attend formal brewer training. These people want to be involved in the group. How can we involve them while maintaining the integrity of the core membership?
If we vote to include women lab techs and packagers, then volunteers from those areas will need to collect the names and contact info. Additionally, if/when the national-brand breweries start sending us their large lists of women brewers, cellarwomen, lab techs, and packagers, it will all add up to a lot of computer work. That is the main reason I limited the list to women working in brewing and fermenting at a commercial brewery.
What that means, is that if you want the Pink Boots Society to be all-inclusive, then plan to volunteer your time to help with maintaining the website, the e-newsletter mailing list, and writing the e-newsletter. The more you want from this group, the more you'll have to give in return. Even an annual party or lunch requires volunteers to organize it and coordinate all the members.
We have to draw the line somewhere. Do you want the list to include women working at breweries of any size, or just craft brewers? How will we define that line? What about the accountants who work at the breweries? Or do you want to limit it to production people? How will we define "production people"?
2. Organize the Society. Perhaps a Queen or Diva instead of a President? A Vice-Queen or Vice-Diva? Perhaps a Board of Mavens instead of a Board of Directors? Let's keep it fun!
3. Form committees. (Committee ideas are listed at the bottom of this newsletter.)
4. Connect women brewers with each other.
Other suggested topics:
5. Institute annual "Pink Boots Award" to be awarded during the GABF meeting to the woman who has done the most to advance the organization's goals (see next section) during the previous year. Members would nominate and vote on candidates via email prior to the GABF meeting.
6. The GABF meeting would include elections or election results for Officers (or Mavens, or ?) for the following calendar year.
7. More? Let me know your ideas. It will take time to iron out what you, the members want. It would be great if we can expedite some of these decisions via email before the April CBC meeting. So please stay involved! |
| Organizational Goals |
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| Where does the P.B.S. want to go?
It would be great if we have enough time to discuss these goals at the April meeting. What are your ideas for goals?
1. Advance the cause of women in brewing.
2. Mentor new or younger women brewers.
3. Promote formal brewing education for women brewers.
4. Connect women brewers with each other.
5. Encourage brewing as a career choice for women.
6. Encourage women to become homebrewers.
7. Encourage women to become beer drinkers.
8. Encourage respect: Ensure that women and beer can be taken seriously together in association (vs. The "Swedish Bikini Team" effect). |
| Pink Boots Resources |
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 Online Resources
These are the only steel toe pink boots options I found: Dr. Martens.
Two women brewer sent me these links:
Paris Cunningham found boots here:
I will not include this section in the next newsletter, so mark your links now. |
| Feedback Loop |
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| Please Send Your Input
Do you have ideas for Organizational Goals? A great link you'd like to share? Please send to me at this special email address: feedback@roadbrewer.com. | |
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Pink Boots Society News is written and distributed by one volunteer (me). If you know someone who might be interested in subscribing, please forward this email to them.
If you want to volunteer, nominate yourself for a commitee and I'll find a way for you to help. Here's a list of what I think we need right now:
1. First Meeting Committee: To help Laura Ulrich, Jessica Gilman and me plan the first meeting during the CBC in San Deigo. If you live near San Diego, all the better.
2. Organizational Structure & Elections Committee: To present ideas for the structure, including number of people on the board. To present ideas for titles and write up the duties of officers/mavens on the board. To gather nominations for potential officers/mavens, president/queen, and other posts necessary to facilitate the organization's goals.
Please note: If we don't vote in any officers in October, this organization may remain a list only. Perhaps the big national-brand breweries can throw staff at this. I am running out of time I can apply to it, so sorry.
3. Legal Committee: Anyone know anything about forming a non-profit? And is that something we need/want to do? Perhaps we raise funds and provide a scholarship for women brewers? That idea might need legal help. Anybody have experience or know people who can help us here?
5. Boots Sourcing Committee: To find a reliable source of steel-toed pink rubber boots! If there is enough interest from the group and our supporters, we can probably get some pink steel-toed boots manufactured for us.
6. Meeting Committe: If you want to continue to have meetings, even if only for social purposes, we need a committee.
7. Brainstorm a committee idea that suits you. Organizations are always more fun when you're involved. Thank you!
Sincerely,
Teri Fahrendorf
Road Brewer |
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