Women dominate beer group awards

Women involved in the beer and pub sector dominated the awards given at the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group (APPBG) Annual Dinner in Westminster recently with four of the seven awards going to five women.

The presentation was made by Mike Wood MP, the Chairman of the APPBG at the Beer Group’s Annual Awards Dinner in Westminster which attracted over 200 MPs, Peers and senior industry figures.

Sara Barton from Brewster’s Brewery in Grantham was nominated by the Institute of Brewing & Distilling as ‘Brewer of the Year’ for her brewing innovation, advocacy in communicating about beer and for blazing a trail for the current generation of female brewers and beer lovers.

Annabel Smith and Jane Peyton won a joint ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’. Annabel was described as one of the countries most respected beer quality trainers; one of the driving forces behind Dea Latis and hosting beer and food matching events for female MPs, the most recent being held last November.

Jane is a writer, broadcaster, events host and drinks educator. She holds the Guinness World Record for leading the world’s largest beer tasting; hosts a popular beer tasting tour of historic London pubs and instigated Beer Day Britain. Both were two of the UK’s first female beer sommeliers in 2012.

Ruth Smeeth, MP for Stoke North was awarded the honour of ‘Beer Parliamentarian of the Year’. Ruth has brewed her own beer, worked an evening behind the bar at the Bulls Head in Burslem; she has hosted two receptions in Parliament for Dea Latis and is the Beer Group’s Labour Vice chair.

Finally, Great British Bake-Off winner, Candice Brown, was named as the Beer Drinker of the Year.

Other awards at the dinner were:

• Special Award: Colin Valentine and Tim Page, CAMRA
• Pub Parliamentarian of the Year: Ben Bradley, MP for Mansfield.
• PubAid Award:  Stonegate Pub Company

The photograph shows Jane Peyton, Annabel Smith and Sara Barton toasting their awards

Brew day for the next generation

Brewster’s Brewery in Grantham is running a Project Venus brew day on 18 May 2018 to raise awareness about brewing as a career choice for women.

Set up by Sara Barton in 2011, Project Venus advocates women’s roles in the UK brewing industry. By facilitating communication, education and collaborative brews, they aim to create an approachable networking space for all females involved in beer. This year marks 20 years of Brewster’s Brewery and the fifteenth event for Project Venus.

The theme is ‘Next Generation’ to highlight the career opportunities for young women in brewing by connecting women currently in the industry to brewing students and those already thinking about a career in beer. Recipe development on the day for the brew is open to anyone who wants to attend, particularly students and people who haven’t designed recipes before.

Brewster’s brewer, Alice Batham said: “As its a Friday we are also planning on heading in Nottingham after the brew day has finished. Nottingham is not too far from the brewery and has lots of beery things to offer. ”

Brewster’s Brewery is in Grantham, a really easy train ride from London Kings Cross and with quick links by road via the A1. Trains and buses run from Grantham to Nottingham. Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

Please contact alice@brewsters.co.uk if you would like to attend.

@ProjectVenusUKEire

New brewster at Brewster’s Brewery

Grantham-based micro brewery, Brewster’s Brewing Company have appointed Alice Batham as Technical Brewer straight from Nottingham University after completing an MSc in Brewing.

Sara Barton said: “I’m really pleased to find a person of Alice’s calibre who will care as much about the brewing of beer as I do. Alice will be first tasked with hands on day to day brewing to familiarise her with our kit. The role will then grow to leading the team for recipe development and managing quality in the brewery”

“Alice was uniquely placed to understand the demands of a small brewery like ours as she has been steeped in brewing from an early age at her family brewery Bathams in Dudley, Black Country. Alice is the sixth generation of her family brewers. I was also fascinated to hear that it was a Charlotte Batham that first brewed beers Alice’s family business in the 1800s.”

Brewster’s Brewing Co Ltd was founded in 1998 by Sara Barton who has a Masters in Brewing from Heriot Watt and had previously brewed at Courage in their Berkshire Brewery.

Brewsters Brewery has won a host of national and international brewing awards and Sara was the British Guild of Beer Writers Brewer of the Year in 2012

www.brewsters.co.uk