Raiye Rosado has been no stranger to Pink Boots Society’s annual Women’s Collaboration Brew Day. She has taken part several times, including hosting the Chicago Chapter once at Rabid Brewing in Homewood, which she co-owns.
But that did not stop Rosado from feeling something special Feb. 9 when she joined the largest gathering of Pink Boots members to date at Church Street Brewing Company in Itasca. Rosado, who helps run the Chicago Chapter in the south region, said the turnout for this year’s brew day was indicative of a growing female presence in the industry.
“Inspiring,” Rosado said of the scene. “Seriously inspiring.”
Pink Boots Society, which describes itself as an organization designed to empower women and nonbinary professionals in the fermented beverage industry, holds the collaborative brew day annually at a rotating host brewery. Proceeds from sales of the beer support the society’s mission, which includes funding scholarships and other educational opportunities for women in industries surrounding brewing, distilling, cider, kombucha and more. The society includes owners of companies as well as those who package the products, design labels, serve drinks and write about the industry.
Rosado said this year’s brew event was particularly fun because it involved veterans and newcomers alike sharing their experiences. Chicago’s Pink Boots chapter has been around long enough now to see how careers that were developed and nurtured have grown, she said.
While not a newcomer to the beer scene, Pollyanna Brewing Company joined the chapter’s brew day for the first time, sending two employees. Kara Cascio, the brewery’s sales and branding manager, said it was fun to share work stories and goals for the year.
“It’s such a motivating and empowering experience to all be together for the day,” Cascio said. “There’s always so much to take away from it — just talking to other women in the business.”
Headquartered in Lemont, Pollyanna also has locations in Roselle and St. Charles. And Cascio said the brewery took advantage of the opportunity to purchase the hop blend and hold its own brew day Feb. 11 with women from all three locations.
“It’s always a very empowering experience,” Cascio said of bringing women together to brew. “There’s not a ton of women in the industry … so when we’re all together, it’s just a lot of learning and sharing from all different areas of the industry.”
The journey of this year’s brew, a pale ale called Cosmic Nunchucks, started back in September, when the Chicago Chapter got together for a “hop rub,” where they evaluated varieties to be used in the brew. Members voted to include HBC 630, Idaho Gem, Loral, Talus and Triumph hops in a blend once again crafted by Yakima Chief Hops.
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Rosado said this is the first year she felt like the chapter got to touch all ends of the process, and it had a voice in that blend. By January, they had to revert to some of the pandemic-era procedures developed in recent years. Instead of getting together for the recipe building and naming, they used virtual tools. But Rosado said they still did great work together.
“We really had a good time this year,” she said. “We collaborated well.”
Malteurop, a malt producer, and Omega Yeast also donated materials for this year’s beer. The beer takes its name from a yeast strain called Cosmic Punch, while also fitting Church Street’s naming convention. The label features a nun in pink Converse shoes, wearing a rosary featuring hops.
“I am excited about it,” Rosado said. “The recipe itself is exciting, simply because it’s leaning into the best of what each of those ingredients has to offer and seeking to highlight what they do best.”
Rosado said this year was also exciting because Church Street has capabilities that some of the prior hosts did not. That means members can get kegs for the first time along with cans. And it proved an educational experience for everyone.
“The scale of a place like Church Street Brewing Company is really adding to this year,” she said. “Traditionally, it’s been smaller breweries. … My mind has been blown.”
While each brewery is handling things a little differently, Cosmic Nunchucks is supposed to be out in early March to coincide with International Women’s Day on March 8. Rosado said Rabid is having a release party Friday and will make it available for online order pickup, in cans to-go from the brewery and on tap. Cascio said Pollyanna bought some cases for employees, while some will be going to distribution.
Bill Jones is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.