The team will be spearheaded by former Beavertown brewer Merrick, alongside Pressure Drop brewer Katie McCain. They will be joined by of 14 female brewers, seven undergraduates and three lecturers/former students from Heriot-Watt.
Other female brewers involved in the project include Jaega Wise of Wild Card (London), Sophie de Ronde of Burnt Mill (Suffolk) and Hayley Marlor of Fuller’s (London).
The team of industry leading brewers will work closely with the next generation of female brewers from Heriot-Watt University to combine seasonal fruits, herbs and botanicals to produce a kettle soured beer that celebrates the craft and creativity of past, present and future female brewers.
Festival releases
Greg Wells, founder of We Are Beer, the company behind the London, Edinburgh and Bristol Craft Beer Festivals, who commissioned the project, said: “We identified that 35% of our festival attendees were female and this is growing year on year. We believe most people still perceive ‘beer’ as quite masculine, but in actuality, that is changing dramatically, which is good for this fast-growing sector and something we’re striving to push forward.
“We want to profile the incredible female talent and influence on modern brewing by creating a collaborative beer with past, present and future female brewers from across the industry.”
The kettle sour will be available at each of the craft beer festivals being hosted in Edinburgh (25-27 May 2018), London (3-5 August 2018), and Bristol (14-16 September 2018) and will be released in a limited-edition small pack.
Crafted by women
Heriot-Watt University offers the first and longest-running degree on brewing and distilling and is staffed by 50% female lecturers.
Speaking about the collaboration, assistant brewing professor Rachel Sutherland said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for our female students to collaborate with some of the leading female figures within the craft beer industry. Beer has, throughout history, been crafted by women. Our students are proudly upholding this tradition, showing the next generation what they can look forward to.
“There’s a real community in craft beer and our kettle sour collaboration is testament to that – and definitely not one to be missed at any of the craft beer festivals happening across the UK.”