If you ask people who they imagine powering the craft brewing industry, likely their image will skew male. In fact, if you were to ask me to tell you the first thing that comes to my mind when I hear the phrase, “craft brewer” I’d describe a bearded “30-something” man who lives in Portland and rides a bicycle everywhere. Which is sad because I know lots of ladies who love beer. That internalized misogyny just runs deep.
But a new brewery in Charlotte, North Carolina is setting out to change the image of craft beer as male-oriented. The female-run establishment is rolling out beers that celebrate accomplishments by women with names like “Rocket Ride IPA” (for Sally Ride), “And YOU Get A Lager” (for Oprah Winfrey), and “Git Yer Gun Golden” (for Annie Oakley). The fun names and celebration of female trailblazers are the brainchild of Bold Missy Brewery founder, Carol Waggener, who (after a decade of working at Anheuser-Busch) decided to branch out and brew her own beer named after “bold missies”.
“We want to be a celebration of women’s accomplishments,” Waggener told Charlotte Five. “There are so many great things to feel good about.”
People are already confused about the name “Bold Missy” and the brewery shared a hilarious vendor mistake on Facebook. I guess they heard “lady beer” and “bold” and thought “ladies be bossy, amirite?”
I also like that the Charlotte Five article ended with a disclaimer so men don’t get too scared, quoting Waggener as saying, “We’re open to naming them after bold misters, too.” Which is good. The last thing we want is for men to panic and hold a men’s rights rally.
Bold Missy Brewery is set to open in Charlotte on May, 13th, 2017. But if you can’t get to Charlotte next weekend (although we think that sounds like a kickass mother/daughter road trip), at least you can check out their awesome label art below!
