SmartyPints: Women, beer and a sisterhood of traveling pints

By Nick Friedman
| 1:40 p.m. June 18, 2014

Arts + Entertainment
Eat + Drink

For a lot of people, beer and masculinity go hand in hand. It's the centerpiece of the stereotypical guys' night out; the glue that binds any frat-tastic tailgate — it's essentially marketed as bottled testosterone, and it's a misconception that's been thoroughly engrained into our culture.

Not one to shy away from a debate, Lisa Sobota, local craft-beer enthusiast and co-leader of the women's beer club, SmartyPints, is ready to debunk this misunderstanding. She's quick to point out that this is only a modern perception of a beverage that's been around a for a lot longer.

"That idea really only came about after the Industrial Revolution," she says. "In the Middle Ages, it was women —alewives — who brewed and sold beer."

As co-leader of SmartyPints, a local chapter of Barley's Angels, an international organization created to increase female involvement in the craft-beer industry, Sobota's goal is to continue that tradition. Through monthly educational meetings, held at a rotating schedule of local beer bars, the all-women's club helps introduce women to the rapidly growing world of craft beer.

"Women are generally underrepresented in the beer industry," says co-leader Kat Dow. "There are a lot of women who are brewers and high up in the industry, but they aren't necessarily the names and faces that people think of. And the idea of beer being a man's drink in general is really unfortunate, and we certainly hope to see that change."

The club started in late 2012, and since then, it has grown to include a core group of about 15 regular members.They host meetings, in which they pair food with craft beer and discuss a specific topic. They've also hosted bottle-shares, a popular ice cream beer float night and soon, they hope to start collaborating with other nearby chapters. The next meeting, to be held July 20, at Darwin Brewing Company in Bradenton, will host a Tampa chapter of the club.

Sobota says the goal is to continue to expand the club, but most importantly, they hope to open more women's eyes to the world of craft beer.

"Everyone has their gateway beer, or their 'aha moment,'" she says. "When it really gets a hold of you, it's not going to let go. It's such an amazing community."