A Sweet Collaboration: How Honey and Female Brewers Make the Perfect Pair
Posted December 10, 2019
For the last nine years, Brightly Creative has been working in the brewing industry for our client, the National Honey Board, to help brewers learn how to brew with honey. It is an industry that we have been successful in and love. Over the years, we have seen so many changes, from the craft beer boom to the creative exploration of ingredients and beer styles to the consumer shift in trying new things other than a lager. But there is one area that has taken some time to move forward: diversity.
Every year, we host numerous beer events, attend tradeshows across the country and stop by as many breweries as we can on our travels. But it was at our Honey Beer Summit in 2018 that we looked around the room and wondered, “Where were all the female brewers?”
Don’t get us wrong, we love our bearded brewing brothers, but we knew it was time for change, and we needed to take a step forward with our organization and client rather than sit back and drink our beer in silence.
Along with boosting our female presence at our summits and outreach, we decided on a sweet collaboration with the National Honey Board and the Pink Boots Society. The Pink Boots Society’s mission is to assist, inspire and encourage female beer industry professionals to advance their careers through education. We took our collaboration to three chapters across the country: St. Louis, MO; Pittsburgh, PA and Portland, OR. We worked with each chapter to source honey, brew their beer and educate their members about the science of brewing with honey and the importance of bees.
Not only was this our step toward bringing more diversity to the forefront, but it was truly a perfect fit for our client. Female bees, or worker bees, make up over 99% of beehives and make all the contributions to the hive, including making honey. This collaboration allowed us to highlight the importance of female bees to female brewers. Can you say #GirlPower?
We look forward to more partnerships with the Pink Boots Society and to continue to bring education to female brewers across the country. We also look forward to more diversity in the industry and more fantastic beers to come!
If you are in one of these cities, make sure to grab a beer, brewed by Pink Boots members!

Honey Holiday, St. Louis, MO
An imperial oatmeal milk stout brewed with honey.

Sour Series White Tea, Pittsburgh, PA
A light wheat-based ale, kettle soured, conditioned on honey, white tea, prickly pear and yuzu fruit.

Honey Mate Lager, Portland, OR
Lager brewed with honey and yerba mate.
CATEGORY: Brightly Creative, National Honey Board