Is This Really as Male-Dominated as it Seems?

[Yooper]

He'll get used to not having eyebrows. But he may twitch a bit around open flames.

haha!

But in the effort to take this thread back to the OP's intention, I will say this.

While I consider my husband a very masculine guy, I'm still the one that does anything brewing/brewery related even if it involves some hardware and tools. I have built three different kegerators, and he just stays out of my way. I have a (male) friend who has done the majority of the work on my brewing equipment but I have done a few things myself. That is why I learned to sweat copper- for brewing and not for fixing things around the house. I took apart a March pump to fix it, and have done similar things with my other stuff.

I think that is fair, really. He has hobbies that I support but don't enjoy- like gardening. I love the fruits of his labors but I'll be damned if I'm going to grab a shovel or hoe to help him. It's HIS hobby, not mine. The same is true of brewing. It's MY hobby (er, ok, obsession). He loves the beer, and he gives great input into new recipes and tweaking them. But he is not about to start measuring grain, measuring hops, etc.

It would be nice to have another hobby to share, but we do hunt and fish together.

 

[MisterTipsy]

Three Floyds has a hipster chick brewer.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

... or hoe to help him.

So OT. So little time.




As for brewclubs, meh. I used to go and I am pretty anti-social. I became an officer of the club and it became political. Clubs are great but are not a necessity to great beer.

 

[hepcat]

Knock it off!!!!! I have a WHIP! That should scare you.

Edit- I forgot I changed my avatar. I have duct tape. Probably not so scary.

Duct tape, whips, high heels, teddys, oh my!! LMAOOO!!!!

 

[Wynne-R]

I had a couple over and they were raving about my pale ale. The guy asked about the alcohol and I said about 6%, 230 calories. The woman shrieked and regarded the glass suspiciously, as if I had served her fat in a glass. I said hey, drink a glass of water afterward and you’ve got Bud Light. I don’t think my argument convinced her.

I’d rather drink 2 excellent beers than 6 thin and tasteless. There are a lot of people that do it the other way. Beer for people who don’t like beer.

I think for guys there is a macho aspect to it, like grilling. The men like being outdoors, drinking, spitting and scratching. The women like having them out of the house.

 

[Denny]

I think for guys there is a macho aspect to it, like grilling. The men like being outdoors, drinking, spitting and scratching. The women like having them out of the house.

Proof that TX is very different than OR!

 

[Mongrel]

Proof that TX is very different than OR!

Having lived in both, I didn't need further proof. I'll take OR any day!

 

[Ben58]

Knock it off!!!!! I have a WHIP! That should scare you.

Edit- I forgot I changed my avatar. I have duct tape. Probably not so scary.

Duct tape can be used for hair removal!
Back to topic, it was Heather who asked for a brewery for her birthday, and I gave in ( quickly ) to her request. Male dominated hobbie it is, but a lot more women are starting to get involved.

 

[Wynne-R]

Texas women are hotter. (wink)

 

[unionrdr]

Well,my wife does brew,but isn't as avid as I am about it. But I'll be darned if she doesn't have a nack for making good beer from my recipes...even a new one made for her. All was going famously till a couple months ago. Her gestational diabeties from 14 years ago came back for round 2 with a vengence. Pour thing. The food balance part is hard to get a handle on 100% in a short time.
Not to mention,the stove burners goin south,& I'm broke most of the time. Beer stash gone. Noone but me to drink it if I did have it. Blast...

 

[lifesjoys]

My Mom got me into brewing about six months ago. Her beers are still better than mine.
The wife hasn't shown a lot of interest yet, I suppose being pregnant has something to do with that.

 

[ASassyBeerChick83]

I think my hubby likes the idea of doing it...
He definitely doesn't have a problem drinking it..
But like Yooper says... he has other hobbies, in which I support him.
But when it comes to reading about and learning and getting the info for the next brew, that's up to me.
He is, however, down for doing tastings & brewery tours...
... aren't we all?

 

[ASassyBeerChick83]

The wife hasn't shown a lot of interest yet, I suppose being pregnant has something to do with that.

I concur... Still doesn't mean she doesn't like it..
my hubby & are got married just a couple of months ago...
I know we will have children soon...
But I am not gonna let the making of it get in my way of brewing it with him...
.... Maybe.

 

[H-ost]

Slightly but... the first date I went on with my girlfriend, we were deciding where to go and the first thing that came out of her mouth was "hmmm do you like beer?"

Thats when I knew she was the one...

Very .... Yooper I LOVE the new avatar haha

 

[david_42]

My wife has gotten very interested in homebrewing, but she is still at the helper stage. Our next beer will probably be a McMenamins Ruby clone. It's a raspberry wheat where they boil the berries to get a pectin haze. It's her favorite, although the blueberry wheat I made her when we were dating went fast. She's not on the forum.

Some forums are just as skewed towards women. The greyhound forum I used to frequent was 97% female.

 

[ghack]

I can say it is a pretty male dominated hobby, but it is starting to be less so. At my LHBC we are getting more women joining than ever. Then again, women are also breaking out of the BMC prison and enjoying a finely crafted pint, instead, so this should not be a surprise.

 

[Yooper]

Some forums are just as skewed towards women. The greyhound forum I used to frequent was 97% female.

I visit a soap making forum occasionally, and there are a few men but it's mostly dominated by snarky women.

Many of these "women dominated" forums treat newcomers rudely- like "you should know the saponification value of castor oil off of the top of your head, dummy!" Maybe many male dominated forums are the same way? I dunno, as I never visited off-road forums or guns forums.

I have guns, of course, but I never visited a gun or hunting forum.

I should start a new forum- a woman's bowhunting forum. But then, I'd be in a forum all alone much of the time, I think.

 

[Bigcorona]

Yooper are you a member of the Brotherhood?





Member in good standing since 1995. I mean they have not called to throw me out.

I am a man, and I can change, if I have to, I guess.

 

[Yooper]

Yooper are you a member of the Brotherhood?



View attachment 69547

Member in good standing since 1995. I mean they have not called to throw me out.

I am a man, and I can change, if I have to, I guess.

My favorite man's prayer was in the finale: "I'm a man, but I changed, because I had to. Oh well."

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

The problem is that he's pretty antisocial and generally quiet and shy. Usually, he doesn't do social activities unless I make him come

I'm pretty antisocial and quiet and shy. But when I'm actually around people who share my beer interest, so that I can talk about beer & brewing rather than BS small talk, the shyness fades away.

 

[Ravenshead]

Ran for years here in OR.

We actually had it in Tx for while. Been a bit though.

 

[tuckferrorists]

so now you and your wife will have something in common?

zing!

 

[MisterTipsy]

Is cookie baking as female dominated as it seems?

 

[Yooper]

I'm pretty antisocial and quiet and shy. But when I'm actually around people who share my beer interest, so that I can talk about beer & brewing rather than BS small talk, the shyness fades away.

You know, I've met a LOT of brewers, and I think the same is true for me. Well, I'm not antisocial or shy. But other than that...........

At one time, I kept a running total of brewers from this forum that I've met in person (in the "how many HBTers have you met in person" thread), but I gave up and quit counting at around 100 or so.

Anyway, the brewers I've met have all been super easy to talk to because we're all about the beer. Brewers also tend to be laid back and love to talk about their love of beer, so small talk isn't necessary.

The great thing is, when I'm chatting with a brewer about beer, we don't seem like "guys" talking to "girls" and the conversation is always mutually respectful. Even in this forum, nobody treats me like a girl but instead I'm treated like one of the guys. Or rather, one of the brewers. I think many newcomers are surprised to even realize that I'm a girl.

The sex of the brewer doesn't matter at all, and I like talking about brewing with anybody who wants to discuss it.

 

[AmandaK]

The great thing is, when I'm chatting with a brewer about beer, we don't seem like "guys" talking to "girls" and the conversation is always mutually respectful. Even in this forum, nobody treats me like a girl but instead I'm treated like one of the guys. Or rather, one of the brewers. I think many newcomers are surprised to even realize that I'm a girl.

The sex of the brewer doesn't matter at all, and I like talking about brewing with anybody who wants to discuss it.

This is exactly what I wanted to say! I love the craft beer/homebrew community for this.

But, it is a heavily male dominated community. When I was judging at NHC this year, I was surprised to see 5 women judges out of the 150+ judges there. I'm used to being the only one! Welcome sight. But then again, I also work in construction... so I'm kind of used to being the only woman in the room.

 

[KISS Brew]

I think many newcomers are surprised to even realize that I'm a girl.

Your current avatar helps spread this confusion

 

[Yooper]

This is exactly what I wanted to say! I love the craft beer/homebrew community for this.

But, it is a heavily male dominated community. When I was judging at NHC this year, I was surprised to see 5 women judges out of the 150+ judges there. I'm used to being the only one! Welcome sight. But then again, I also work in construction... so I'm kind of used to being the only woman in the room.

Ok, but here is the GREAT thing about the NHC that I didn't even think about until my first one. NO lines at the ladies' room!

My first NHC was in 2008, I think. There were very very few women in any of the seminars, and not very many at all ProBrewers Night. There were lines for the men's room, but the ladies' room was always empty.

What a contrast to anyplace else in the world! I've spent more time waiting in lines at ladies' rooms in major league ballparks than watching the games. The same with concerts, basketball games, etc. (Newer stadiums are different, but the old Brown County Stadium for Packers games had like two restrooms for women, and 80,000 seats!)

Anyway, I knew it was male dominated but that first NHC was sort of a surprise as to how many more men were there.

I also think that more women do brew than we know, but don't have time to be in brewclubs, or on forums. I happen to have chatted to women in a bar or two, and found out that they brew. But I think most of the ones I met have kids/family, work, and other commitments so don't have time to hang out on forums and things. One of my friends was doing Mr. Beer kits for years and years, but I didn't even know it until I started brewing and mentioned it to her! I got her into winemaking after that and she makes wine quite a bit.

 

[libeerty]

My fiance is something of a silent partner in my brewing. She likes beer, too, so she helps me decide what to brew next, often based on beers she has already had. She will tell me why she likes one, or doesn't like one, and occasionally helps me brew (though she hates the mess.) She has found it helpful as a conversation piece in a very male-dominated beer-loving company she works for, but isn't diehard like me. But, bottom line, I won't brew a beer she won't like, and only really care about her opinion since it is the one I will hear until the last bottle is cracked. And I think she has an excellent palate.

Behind every great brewer is a great woman... or something.

 

[pjj2ba]

Things are a changin' though! At the Pilsner Urquell homebrew competition in NYC on Monday, 2 of the 9 finalists were women!! Unfortunately, neither made it into the top 3.

I just got an email from a PA homebrew store offering a women's only brew class

For the record, my wife doesn't help with the brewing at all. She is extremely supportive though and likes all styles of beers except most wheats and wits. She does however like the fruity drinks as well.

 

[AmandaK]

Ok, but here is the GREAT thing about the NHC that I didn't even think about until my first one. NO lines at the ladies' room!

You're completely right, that was one of my favorite things! I was hanging out with a group of 3 guys and I was always the first one out of the bathroom... by a long shot. It was great, not only were there no lines, there were plenty of stalls to pick from too.