Iron Beer Maidens

Hamilton’s first craft beer group for rad women

As you probably well know, the craft beer scene in Hamilton (and beyond) has been exploding by leaps and bounds over the past few years. With the recent openings of all the craft breweries in the city, comes many craft beer aficionados – the only problem is, the craft beer scene has been known to be a bit of a “boy’s club”. But the tides are turning, and like many things in our modern world, there are many who are bringing in the waves of change. In comes the Hamilton-based Iron Beer Maidens: Hamilton’s Craft Beer group for rad women. An awesome step towards more inclusivity in the industry!

Founded in 2017 by Tiffany Hayes (aka Head Storyteller), Aimee Belanger (aka Beer Curator) and Jenna Anderson (aka Creator of Hopportunities), Iron Beer Maidens brings together those who identify as women for monthly beer tasting events. With the ticket to the event, the attendees receive a blind flight of beer, chat with the other women to discuss flavour profiles and tasting notes and have a guess at what brew and brand they’re drinking. Closer to the end of the meeting, the ‘Maidens’ will do a reveal of the flights, followed by a ‘badass’ lady speaker involved in the beer industry. But the night doesn’t end there! If you stick around, there’s music, laughs, and a chance to meet other awesome people who are into craft beer. Sometimes, they even have special craft beer artisans like Pretty Pennie Jewellery with hops necklaces or earrings or beer soap with Big Beer Soap Company.

The rad women in charge of Iron Beer Maidens say they felt a need to start the group after noticing a space that needed to be filled in the Hamilton area (many other cities’ offer women’s craft beer groups, such as the popular Toronto’s Society of Beer Drinking Ladies). Plus, the Iron Beer Maidens wanted to create a community-feel where women could learn more about craft beer and have a fun environment to learn and ask questions. It was a group that seemed only necessary with the great spaces and amazing local breweries we are blessed with in Hamilton.

So far, the community has been extremely receptive to the group, with over 20-60 women attending each monthly event. When asked what their favourite part of the group has been so far, each team member had a different reason. For Tiffany, it’s the variety of women that show up “from beer newbies to experts, solo or with a friend, and everyone gets along like they’ve been friends forever. Truly a RAD group of women”, she says. For Aimee, her favourite part of being a part of the group so far has been the inclusiveness and creating a space where women can come together to meet new friends through beer. She also loves “showing off some great spaces for events in Hamilton.” Jenna feels that her favourite thing is watching newcomers transform from feeling unsure about what to say about a beer, into feeling empowered and speaking about their tasting experience. Jenna says “There are no wrong answers.” Plus, “There are so many different flavour profiles in the craft beer industry today, that each of our events is unique depending on what we pour.”

Whether you’re a craft beer expert or a have just found a new passion with craft beer and are dipping your toes in…the Iron Beer Maidens group is the best way for women to get involved in the scene.

Find out more about the Iron Beer Maidens, and stay tuned for their upcoming event dates, at:
https://www.ironbeermaidens.com
https://www.instagram.com/ironbeermaidens
https://www.facebook.com/IronBeerMaidens

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