Equinox – 3.8% Pale Ale
International Women’s Collaboration Brew Day (IWCBD) occurs this month – an annual event that encourages women around the world to brew together, celebrating their contributions to the industry. Therefore, Rob asked me if I’d like to write this month’s blog explaining a bit about how I came to own a brewery, a sector traditionally dominated by men.
Historically, brewing was often considered a household chore, and women were the primary brewers. During the Middle Ages, women known as “brewsters” brewed and sold beer as an important source of income. However, as brewing transitioned from a domestic craft to a commercial industry, women’s roles diminished. The advent of industrialization and the formation of brewing guilds, which often excluded women, further marginalised their contributions.
The resurgence of women in brewing began in the late 20th century, driven by the craft beer movement. This movement created opportunities for women to re-enter the field, often bringing fresh perspectives and innovative approaches. But how did I become part of this resurgence and end up running my own brewery?
In 2015 Hani (my husband) and I were living in South London, I was teaching part time and caring for our 2 young children while Hani was working long hours in Canary Wharf. The feeling that we were living 2 separate lives under the one roof wasn’t working for us and we decided we wanted to move out of London and start a business together, but doing what?? While scrolling through businesses for sale, we came across a microbrewery and both our eyes lit up as we had shared a love of beer since we met at university. Long story short, that brewery wasn’t for us and as perfectionists (or maybe control freaks!), we decided that if we were going to enter the brewing industry, we wanted to start from scratch and build our own brand and beer range. As I was working part time, it was easier for me to give up my job and start learning how to brew and build a business plan while Hani continued to support us financially. So, me becoming the brewer was purely a practical decision but turned out to be a good one as I loved learning this new skill, developing recipes and conducting plenty of market research by sampling other brewery’s beers!
After just a few months, we decided we were ready to take the plunge; Hani handed in his notice at the FCA and we put the house on the market. Our friends, who had been happily tasting my sample brews as I developed recipes for our first beers, were shocked that we were actually going through with this mad plan!
We moved at the very end of 2015 and by October 2016, we were set up and brewing in The Old Chicken Shed on Stocks Farm – one of the largest hop farms in the country. For the next 3 years Hani and I worked hard together on our start up business. At the beginning of 2020 Hani was invited by an ex-colleague to join him on a contract in his previous world of IT Service Transition and as the business had grown to a point where we could manage without Hani being on board, he bravely left The Hop Shed in my slightly trepidatious hands! 5 years later Hani has not returned to the brewery, but we are continuing to grow having survived Covid, massive energy and grain price rises and have exciting plans for 2025 and beyond!
I may not be brewing anymore, as we now have Rob, a much more qualified and skilful brewer than I will ever be, but I remain one of a very few female brewery owners in the country. As part of my role, I enjoy working with Rob on ideas for new beers, like this month’s special – Equinox Pale Ale where we have combined a firm favourite hop – Harlequin with a new, experimental variety of hop which has aromas of grapefruit and lychee. I hope you manage to sample a pint of it!
