The Devil's in the draught lines

Once our ancient ancestors discovered that by settling and cultivating grains they would have a regular and plentiful food source, it was only a matter of time before beer became a part of everyday life. And that beer was mainly made by women. For centuries, women brewers remained key participants in our beer trade, up to the Industrial Revolution when increased mechanisation, alongside Victorian societal constraints, conspired to push a lot of them out. From then on, commercial brewing was generally considered a male-led profession.But things are changing. With the increase in new breweries, and a growing enthusiasm for beer, women are back at the helm at an ever-growing number of British brewers, large and small, reasserting their dominance in the industry.

Dr. Christina Wade is a historian specialising in Irish and UK beer history. She is currently writing two books: one on the history of beer in Ireland from medieval alewives to the modern craft beer movement; and the other on the history of brewing women in the UK, both will be published in 2024.Wade currently serves as one of the Chicago Brewseum's League of Historians and has just launched Beyond the Black Stuff, a beer history walking tour of Dublin.She has blogged extensively about beer history on her own website, Braciatrix.com, which was recently nominated for an Irish Food Writing Award 2022. On her blog she also recreates historical beers, including a 4,000-year-old Sumerian ale and a medieval English braggot.She is a resident historian, audio editor, and co-host of the Beer Ladies Podcast, which was recently featured in Vinepair. She also founded the Ladies Craft Beer Society of Ireland in 2013, which at time of writing has over 1,400 members. She is a Certified BJCP Beer Judge and has judged competitions and hosted beer tastings throughout Ireland.She has also written for various other publications including The Medieval Dublin Series, The Journal of Franco-Irish Studies, TheTaste.ie, and Beoir Magazine; and given talks at the International Conference of Medievalists, The Beverage Research Network Conference, Friends of Medieval Dublin Lunchtime Lecture Series, The FemAle Beer Festival, Alltech Brews and Food Fair, BrewCon, and the Killarney Beer Festival.

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