Join Barley's Angels, A Craft Beer Club For Women

By Anthony Todd in Food on Oct 16, 2012 6:20PM

On the heels of a thought-and-comment-provoking rant about Chick Beer, some of Chicago's female beer enthusiasts decided to do something about the under-representation of women in this burgeoning community. Our own Lorna Juett has teamed up with the Local Option to host Chicago's first meeting of Barley's Angels, a nationwide club for women who care about beer.

This isn't just a place for women to sit around and drink beer—Barley's Angels is dedicated to education. "Barley's Angels respect beer and brewing, have a thirst for education, enjoy beer responsibly and act appropriately at all times," explains Juett. Their first event on Oct. 17 is devoted to wheat-based beers, and includes five pours and paired cheese from Pastoral. Tickets are available online through The Local Option.

We're all about this group. Female drinkers, as Juett pointed out in her article, are often pigeonholed into drinking pink-branded swill, and many men don't realize that women also love interesting beers. We attended a similar event for women who love bourbon last month at The Bedford and were amazed to see how excited the attendees were about being in a room together without anyone telling them what they were supposed to drink and enjoy. It was the first time we'd ever experienced a tasting led by a female teacher, and it was surprisingly different. More than a group for women, this is an opportunity to develop and experience different perspectives on products that we all love. Let's sell it out, ladies.