It’s in their craft

Tune into a series that highlights the experiences of women from the beer and alcohol industry

We might be living in a country that worships a plethora of goddesses, and puts mothers, daughters, girlfriends and wives on a pedestal on specific days across the calendar, but there’s no denying the discrimination that women — like other marginalised genders — face here. What is it, then, like to be a woman in the burgeoning beer and alcohol industry, which itself is still considered an unconventional sector? That’s what led beer enthusiast Chatty Girija to launch the Good WOmen Beer Podcast campaign on National Girl Child Day, in January.

The “pint-sized” podcasts, ranging between 50 seconds and two minutes, feature 10 cicerones, brewers, mixologists, as well as women who write on alcohol. The campaign is part of Chatty’s Cheers Chatty podcast. She shares that the idea was rooted in her research when she started off in 2019. “I realised there were a lot of women in the industry, who were not in the marketing or communication roles, but into hardcore brewing. They were involved in lifting barrels, brewing, etc, and come with qualified backgrounds in brewing and fermentation,” she reveals, adding that many of them hail from conservative families and small towns. As someone who has dreamt of building an Indian equivalent of the US-based Pink Boots Society, which promotes women professionals in these industries, she felt that the voices of Indian female brewers needed a platform.

The episodes give listeners an insight into the experiences of women behind the brews we love. While Pallavi Naidu, founder of alcohol magazine Alcobuzz, calls out the red-tapism in the sector, wine trainer Seema Trehan points out how women have to go the extra mile to achieve their goal as they’re under more pressure than men. Brewer Shreya Sahasrabudhe recollects the family drama she encountered as women aren’t associated with alcohol, while beverage writer Karina Aggarwal notes that the sector is often viewed as a boys’ club.

Chatty informs us that the campaign won’t be limited to a select few, and that more women are welcome to share their stories. “Any woman is a good omen,” Chatty elaborates on the series’ title, adding, “Some day, I’d like to launch a beer with this name.” That’d be neat. 

Log on to: @cheerschatty on Instagram

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