Women & Beer Competitions

We need more women as judges, entrants, and competition organizers! If you have ever judged a homebrew competition, you have seen how few judges who are women. And if you have ever organized a homebrew competition, you have seen how few entrants are women. We want to change that and each of us can help make it happen. During this talk we share with you the motivation and roadblocks women face in this space and how to access resources that will help you, your club, and your competition to give encouragement and direction to female and nonbinary homebrewers.

Learning Objectives

• Hear the results of a nationwide survey of homebrewers as to why they do or do not enter beer competitions
• Discuss the roadblocks that women homebrewers identified as to why they don’t enter more competitions
• Talk about why entering homebrew competitions is both important and fun
• Go over tips to ensure your club or organization’s next homebrew competition is more inclusive
• Attend an introduction of and gain access to the Women’s Craft Fermentation Alliance Evergreen Brewing Initiative

About the Speakers

Michele Wonder is an award winning homebrewer, Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) certified beer judge, Certified Cicerone, co-founder of the Women’s International Beer Summit, and Media Director for the Women’s Craft Fermentation Alliance. She works professionally as a draught services technician and manager at Perfect Pour Services in Portland, Oregon. She is currently studying to take the BJCP written exam and then will begin her pursuit of the Advanced Cicerone level of certification. Michele has aspirations of living in the mountains in Colorado on a small self-sustaining farm brewery that hosts guests who get to help out on the farm and in the brewery.

Melissa McCann is the founder of the Women’s International Beer Summit and the former Director of Queen of Beer, the oldest all-female homebrew competition in the United States. She is the Executive Director of the Women’s Craft Fermentation Alliance. She is a Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) certified beer judge and has been involved in the beer community for several years organizing, volunteering, and managing beer events. She currently sits on the American Homebrewer Association’s Governing Committee. Melissa is a world traveler in search of new adventures, excellent hand-crafted beverages, as well as meeting the crafters, and the story behind those beverages. Melissa makes her home (when she manages to be home) near Sacramento, California.

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Wellness & Inclusion Resources

Together with the Brewers Association, the American Homebrewers Association (AHA) provides resources to encourage mental well-being and foster Diversity, Equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the homebrewing community.

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