Worcester Business Journal

8 Worcester Business Journal | February 18, 2019 | wbjournal.com e Massachusetts brewing industry is among the national leaders in woman participation Pink boots brewing BY ZACHARY COMEAU Worcester Business Journal Staff Writer G o ahead and question the small – but robust – operation at CraRoots Brewing. e Milford brewery, producing small batches just for its tap- room and a select few local restaurants, is earning a reputation as a true commu- nity brewery and has earned a 3.7 out of 5 rating from the website Beer Advocate. If you'd place your bet that the brew- ery's IPAs, double IPAs, stouts, ales and other brews were made by a Millennial man with a big bushy beard, a flannel and a healthy gut, you'd be dead wrong. In fact, the only person to ever make beer at CraRoots is Maureen Fabry, and she's a 53-year-old woman and a 20- year beer industry veteran. She's one of dozens of a growing number of women calling beer their career. Even more, her business partner is a woman – and her wife – Robin Fabry. e Fabrys, who operate the only woman-owned Massachusetts brick- and-mortar brewery, are just one ex- ample of women playing a larger role in the typically male-dominated industry, where Massachusetts may be among the leaders for female-inclusiveness. "In terms of gender, Massachusetts is doing a great job," said Katie Stinchon, executive director of the Mass. Brewers Guild. "ere's a healthy group of men and women at meetings. It feels 50-50." Largest women brewers' organization Worcester Business Journal surveyed 20 Central Massachusetts breweries on the gender breakdown of their employ- ees, and – of the 16 who responded – 43 percent of the workers were women. Beer industry groups have not yet tracked gender data, but the Massachu- setts chapter of the female brewer advo- cacy group Pink Books Society is largest in the country, with 188 members. "at's giving us a way to get together and see that there are more women in the industry than we thought," Fabry said. Upton native Brienne Allan is the Pink Boots Boston chapter president, who took over the vacant position about three years ago. She started in the brew- ing world at Framingham's Jack's Abby Cra Lagers as a bartender, but wanted to learn the brewing process. When a keg washer le for a college degree, she was asked to take his spot, but she felt unable to move up. at's when she found Pink Boots, which offers scholarships to women brewers to learn about the cra. She won the scholarship she applied for, and today she is the head brewer for Notch Brewing in Salem. Still, Pink Boots was not a common name in the state. For a time, Allan and a brewer at Boston Beer Co. were the only members. Now, leading the chapter is a second full-time job. e chapter's biggest fundraiser is a collaboration brew with whichever Massachusetts brewery wants to partici- pate. In Allan's first year, three breweries participated. at grew to 12 the next year and 25 the next. is year, there are 65 breweries signed up to participate in the event, which coincides with International Women's Day on March 8. e largest barrier to women, Allen said, are the disproportionate educa- tional opportunities offered to men in the industry. Getting into the industry as a bar- tender or front-of-house worker is easy enough, but learning about the science and cra of beermaking is the barrier actually driving Allen to grow her Pink Boots chapter into the largest in the world, she said. Now, half of the organization is dedicated to sending women to brewing school while the other half is helping women find better jobs in more diverse and accepting breweries. "All of the girls are joining Pink Boots to get education to prove to their bosses they can move forward in their careers," she said. "For some reason, we have to prove it, and all the guys don't." More women customers e brewing industry's customer base is growing more female. According to the national Brewers Association, 31.5 percent of cra beer drinkers in 2018 were women. at's up from 29.1 per- cent in 2015. e push to get greater gender diver- sity in employee ranks and ownership led the Massachusetts Brewers Guild to develop a diversity committee, which is led by Maureen Fabry. Mass. is the first state guild to create a diversity commit- tee, said Stinchon, who is the guild's first Among the core beers at Craftroots Brewing, owned by Maureen (left) and Robin Fabry, are Blonde Ale, Root 16 IPA, IPAx2 and Irish Dry Stout. PHOTOS/ELIZABETH BROOKS F O C U S W O M E N I N L E A D E R S H I P

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