Our Ale Odyssey #17 box includes Bodriggy’s ‘Not Your Sweetheart’ Red IPA which is made with a very special combination of hops: the Pink Boots Hop Blend 2025. And although it might just sound like something Elle Woods would wear when brewing, what actually is ‘Pink Boots’?
Pink Boots Society is an organisation that aims to assist, inspire and encourage women and non-binary individuals in the beverage industry to advance their careers through education.
Its origins and foundation date to 2007 when Teri Fahrendorf, who during a 139-day road trip (after quitting her job of 19 years as a brewmaster), met many women in brewing who felt completely isolated in the male-dominated industry. Realizing the need for communication and community, she compiled a list of 60 women brewers and called it “The Pink Boots Society,” named after the pink boots she wore on her journey.
In 2008, she gathered the women on the list for a luncheon, where they decided to form an official organization for women beer professionals. The group has since evolved into a supportive community that promotes the advancement of women and non-binary individuals in the fermented beverage industry worldwide, including Australia.
Yakima Chief Hops from the US Pacific North West (in collaboration with PBS) has been releasing a Pink Boots hop blend (a special combination of hop varieties to be sold together in a single pack) for the last 8 years. For this year’s blend Yakima Chief Hops partnered with women-owned farms within their network of growers to assist with the blend’s creation. The outcome is a great mix of: Krush, Simcoe, Mosaic, and Chinook.
Image: Jules brewing at Bodriggy.
Bodriggy’s newest brew team addition and Pink Boots Australia member Jules Eaton, with experience in multiple local breweries such as Deeds, Hawkers, Burnley & Rocky Ridge, was in charge of the brewing of this unique Red IPA. The outcome is a beautiful copper & ruby coloured brew with an assertive bitterness and great tropical and piney character.
Cheers to beer and organisations like this that make the industry more inclusive and welcoming!
