Chicago's Women Of Beer: Kim Leshinski of Hail To The Ale
By Lorna Juett in Food on Feb 5, 2013 8:00PM
For this Chicago’s Women Of Beer column, we’re turning our attention to a content creator, Kim Leshinski of Hail 2 The Ale and the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild. Leshinski is an accomplished graphic and packaging designer with experience within the beer and wine sector. She’s also an avid homebrewer who seeks out collaborations with local breweries whenever possible.
Leshinski first saw beyond the world of pale, fizzy lagers and into the depths of craft beer while living and working in Rochester, NY when she was introduced to the craft breweries of The Distillery and Rohrbach’s Brewing Company. “I remember trying Rohrbach’s Scotch Ale and being blown away,” Leshinski told us. “I had no idea beer could be that... good! Once I moved to Chicago I remember Goose Island and Half Acre making a huge impact on my impression of craft beer.”
When she first moved to Chicago, Leshinski joined a “Beer 101” workshop at Saya Hillman’s Mac & Cheese Productions featuring Brew Camp, a Chicago homebrew store that features homebrewing classes, and Team Pete, an avid homebrewer and bike and beer tour organizer. Leshinski found herself immediately drawn to homebrewing, and cultivated a quickly growing obsession. As a passionate home cook, Leshinski immediately drew parallels between her love of making food in her kitchen to a desire to brew beer there as well. “I was drawn to the fact that beer, like food recipes can be customized,” Leshinski told us. “Pretty much anything can be added to beer to give it a unique spin. I'm big on using fresh, natural, local ingredients and building a story around it that can be reflected in the packaging design.” She brews once a month these days, and has used her connections to work with with some new breweries on the block, such as Atlas Brewing, to get the hang of using a larger brewing system.
She was inspired to start her blog, Hail 2 The Ale, as a medium for discussion of her packaging design projects and homebrewing experiences. Hail 2 The Ale quickly grew into a place to talk about all things beer related, from Leshinski’s personal experiences to beer news from across Chicago. The site boasts a roster of 4 contributors, and her Twitter feed and consistent contribution to Hail 2 The Ale was the glimmer that attracted Justin Maynard of the Illinois Craft Beer Guild to her writing. She’s now a field correspondent for the organization. “The best part about being a field correspondent with the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild is that I get to ask the questions that everyone wants to know,” Leshinski told us. “Listening to the brewers’ stories, where their inspiration comes from and absorbing their experiences allow me craft articles that beer enthusiasts and aspiring brewers would be interested in hearing.”
Like many of the women of Craft Beer we’ve spoken to, the large male population of the craft beer industry is an issue, but not a huge obstacle to overcome. “I’d be lying if I said walking into a room comprised of 99% male brewers wasn’t intimidating but I’d also be willing to bet anyone new to the field would feel the same,” Leshinski admitted. “There are a handful of guys who have been doing this for decades purely for the craft, before it exploded into the massive trend it is now. The way that I approach any new situation is to do my homework and to listen. When I do contribute my two cents I feel confident about it and I know that people will respect my opinion.”
And finally, Leshinski offers some advice for women, or anyone really, who is interested in entering the craft beer industry. “I think there are a lot of people out there who would love to work in the beer industry. Who could blame them - it’s pretty much the grown-up dream job. The key to surviving in a competitive and often subjective field is finding a nitsche within your passion and know how to market yourself in a genuine and approachable way.” She also adds, “Being humble and grounded goes a long way in any circumstance.”
Want to catch up with Kim Leshinski offline? She’s most often found taking in a special beer event at Fountainhead, watching sports at one of the two Beer Bistro outlets, or quaffing Belgian style brews at Haymarket.