WA Beer Week: Ladies Beer Tasting

November 3, 2014

For the first time in WA Beer Week’s history there was a Pink Boots event on the calendar.

Pink Boots Mission: The Pink Boots Society was created to empower women beer professionals to advance their careers in the Beer Industry through Education.

Pink Boots started, as I believe, in the US and now has chapters all over the world. Here in Australia our Pink Boots Society have funded grants and collaborated to brew.

Pink Boots Society Australia on Facebook

Pink Boots Society (international) on Twitter

In WA we have been having regular Pink Boots meetings which sound formal but don’t be fooled! Meetings are open to any women interested in beer, you don’t have to be working in the industry, you just have to enjoy a beer. Pink Boots Australia’s Facebook page will have all meeting information if you’re keen to come along!

Kris Latham (CBIA) and Roxy Boubis (Five Bar) are the wonderful women looking after the WA Pink Boots chapter and together they organised the first Pink Boots event during a WA Beer Week – a Ladies Beer Tasting Masterclass with Swan Valley’s Mash Brewing.

Held at Pirate Bar in Mt Hawthorn, ladies were greeted to a red carpet entrance with optional pirate themed photo.

Welcome drinks were the Mash Grasscutter, their answer to “summer in a bottle”.

Alongside Kris and Roxy, the head brewer from Mash Charlie Hodgson hosted the evening with a casual and fun tasting session split into two beer flights.

First up it was the Mash Pale Ale and 3 Ravens ’55’ American Pale Ale followed by Mash Copy Cat American IPA and Mash Challenger English IPA. Charlie chatted a bit about tasting the beers before working the room, chatting with tables about the beers and getting feedback from guests. It was a great casual tasting and I really enjoyed Charlie’s approach, it’s very relaxed with virtually zero trace of confusing jargon.

“Beer is the new wine, don’t be afraid to swirl it”

“You haven’t smelt beer until you’ve inhaled beer foam”

Charlie, Mash Brewing

The evening finished up with a tasting of Mash’s latest limited release, brewed by Charlie and assistant brewer Eddie, ‘Bon Scotch’ which, as you may have guessed, is a scotch ale. This was my favourite beer of the night, a great balance of vanilla and peat that gently linger over a soft sultana sweetness that is just begging to age a little. Charlie does plan to hold some back for a year, brew it again and then compare the two at special event. I’ll be keeping an eye out for that in 12 months!