What is the value of community? How does one find a group of people that allows oneself to feel at home?
When community fosters meaningful connections, education, mental wellbeing, and creates visibility, how can a company help support them and their members?
The Pink Boots Society is an international non-profit organization that assists, inspires, and encourages women and non-binary individuals in the alcohol beverage industry through education, mentorship, and community. With around 90 chapters around the world, the Pink Boots Society has been positively impacting the beer community since its founding in 2007.
Elinor Reina, The Veil’s Scott’s Addition Taproom Manager, first joined the Boston chapter of Pink Boots Society in 2017 when she was working at Trillium Brewing Company. “Working in such a homogenous field as far as the gender and racial makeup, joining a room full of women and non-binary folks was a really eye-opening experience. There’s all these badass human beings that are maybe not on the forefront of what people think of when people think of craft beer, but we’re all here.”
When Elinor moved to Richmond and first started working at The Veil, she immediately wanted to find the local Pink Boots chapter. “Coming to Richmond, I got to know a bunch of other folks that are a part of the chapter. Talking to them about their own trajectory in craft beer, seeing the paths that my friends have followed, and also starting to really tune into the national conversation about diversity, equity, and inclusion in the industry was a light bulb that went off for me.”
Being a part of the Pink Boots community allowed Elinor to think about what she wanted to bring to the industry. “I have these amazing peers that have worked their way into management roles and are consistently working to try to make their space more inclusive and diverse, while advocating for their staff. I want to do that, I want to help make that positive change for this awesome company that I work for. We are fortunate enough to be a brewery that has a lot of visibility in the Richmond and Virginia community, as well as the greater craft beer community in general. So I always appreciate when we use that power to make a statement and show our support for really cool organizations like the Pink Boots Society.”
The Veil brewed its first Pink Boots beer in 2020. Hunny Dripz was a Double India Pale Ale with Virginia honey, hibiscus, Citra, and 2020’s Pink Boots hop blend. Every year since, the women and non-binary staff at The Veil come together to formulate, name, and brew a beer that creates visibility and benefits the Pink Boots Society.
One of Elinor’s favorite memories from The Veil’s Pink Boots involvement was brewing last year’s Pink Boots beer, Perfect Food. “Last year was our biggest turn out yet, we had close to twenty people here from all three of our locations. It was so cool to see all of these woman and non-binary folks that work for this company, all in the same room, that just showed up to participate in this effort together.”
When asked which aspect of Pink Boots gets overlooked and might not be known to the public, Elinor Reina mentioned the organization’s strong focus on education. A portion of the proceeds from each beer goes back to the Richmond chapter, in addition to the larger organization. The money raised provides scholarship initiatives, community programing, all while continuing to enhance the experience of every Pink Boots Society member.
“Everyone that fits the bill is welcome to apply to those scholarships and they include anything from going out to Yakima Chief for the hop selection, going to Germany to learn about lagering techniques, or going to the Craft Beer Professionals Conference in Norfolk, which is what I got a scholarship to do last year. It’s really easy to apply and they are always open to suggestions about where else they can help put some of that money.”
When asked what she would say to someone that might be hesitant to join the Pink Boots Society or the industry as a whole, Elinor was quick to respond.
“Even if you’re not sure if you are welcomed, you are. Come check out one meeting where we’ll just have a beer and chat. If you're socially anxious about being in a room full of new people, I promise you that you’re in good company. Jumping over that hurdle for myself, that first time, has led to almost four years of good friends and feeling more empowered in an industry that I’ve only grown more passionate about.”
Stay tuned to The Veil’s social media for a release date for the 2023 Pink Boots beer, Bad Haircut. Bad Haircut is an open-fermented, dry-hopped Belgian Pale Ale (5% ABV, approximately 35 IBU) that is brewed with the Yakima Chief Pink Boots 2022 hop blend containing Loral®, Ekuanot®, and HBC 586.
