She Drinks Beer: debunking beliefs about brewing, beer and women

Simply put, She Drinks Beer is branded by its beer-brewing organisers as a ‘night at the pub for women who enjoy beer’.

However, there is a lot more to the female-fronted night than this description lets on.

At its latest event on a recent weekday evening, Kelly Sidgwick spoke passionately about She Drinks Beer and the role of women in the brewing sector more widely over a pint in her lively but intimate pub, The Good Measure on Chandos Road .

“Its not about joining a committee or networking with others or anything political. It’s just an evening at the pub for women who drink beer,” Kelly said.

The evening is founded by Good Chemistry Brewing, the brewery in St Philip’s co-owned by Kelly and and her partner Bob Cary that strives to reflect their good vibes in the quality of the beer they brew.

From hosting events in their taproom, the company went on to open their first pub and have now launched a regular event there dedicated to beer-loving women.

The latest She Drinks Beer event was buzzing with beer-drinkers – photo by Betty Woolerton

While The Good Measure showcases a lineup of hoppy delights from both their own brewery and others, Kelly’s expert recommendation is a pint of Kokomo Weekday, inspired by The Beach Boy’s song Kokomo in name and smoothly tropical in flavour.

Kelly spoke of the persistent overrepresentation of men in small craft breweries and the beer industry generally, and how she want to challenge this.

She explained: “We are a team of eight and we have three women. It’s good to redress the gender balance after being the only woman for a little while.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CVnGCXqMQhh/

The beer brewer and business owner pioneered the evening to create a safe space for women to socialise and drink alcohol at night, which Kelly added is especially vital today in the context of the increased reporting of spiking in Bristol and further afield.

In the face of this, Kelly exclaimed that “women do drink beer, for god’s sake, so to be visible and vocal about that is so important”.

…………………………….

Read more: My Bristol Favourites: Kelly Sidgwick

…………………………….

Her enthusiasm was only curtailed by the cheerful interruption of their friend and chef for the night, Colin, who presented the table with what he called “festive explosions” in the form of vegan loaded fries.

Tables at The Good Measure were filled by dozens of women from Bristol breweries and beer industry businesses like Left Handed Giant, plus students part of the University of Bristol’s Real Ale Society, who Kelly pointed out proudly.

The Good Measure is situated among a hotbed of pubs, cafes and restaurants on Chandos Road – photo by Betty Woolerton

The growing success of the evening is testament to Good Chemistry’s flourishing (but frosty) brewery and taproom.

She Drinks Beer is about women finding ways to navigate the classically male-dominated industry and share their love for beer with others, with clusters of women united by their pints tonight.

“Going into 2022, we now have two amazing new brewers, a full time office person, and a salesperson who can go out and sell beer”, Kelly said, while contently munching on some corn ribs.

“And this is what happens as a result.”

The next She Drinks Beer will be held on the evening of January 11 at The Good Measure

Main photo by Betty Woolerton

Read more: A-Z Bristol pub crawl: The Good Measure, Redland

Listen to the latest Bristol24/7 Behind the Headlines podcast: