speaker-0: Welcome to First Draft, a podcast about beer and the people who make it. First Draft is presented by me, Elizabeth Townsend, co-founder of Keri Brewing Company in the Isle of Man and Eliza Drinks Beer on Instagram. Throughout the series, I'll be meeting the creatives and creators behind the world's best beer, revisiting their very first pints and now navigating a successful career in the professional beer industry. Today I'm joined by Jeff Smerritt and Jenny Mann. Both based on the West Coast of the United States, both hugely passionate about accessibility and empowerment in the beer industry. They are true community builders, both in offline and online realms. Jenny Mann is a creative director, social media strategist, photographer and certified Cicerone, sharing the good word about beer via her Instagram page, at MsBeerCraft. Jess Merritt, also known as the digital creator at Beer Babe Jess, is a creative director and author of Rethink Everything You Know About Craft Beer. a collection of 23 personal stories from brewers, bartenders, marketers, educators, founders and community builders across the craft beer industry. We look at what makes a craft beer community and how European beer styles have made an impact on the other side of the Atlantic.

speaker-1: Well, funny enough, I may not have been 21. and I was enamored by the beer case at our local grocery store and they had s a little beer called Samuel Smith, the beer brand. And I was very excited about it and seeing all the different and I'll use the word flavors that beer had. And then I saw Linda Men's and was like, my gosh, this is incredible. fast forward, I was a homebrewer for 10 years. And through that opportunity as well, just you know, became friends with the local homebrew mart. shout out to those guys. The Homebrew Mart is killer and they're an amazing brand that not only is incredibly inclusive, but they're just keeping the art of homebrew alive in San Diego. then I jumped into the beer world. I was working with some of the you know these awesome beer brands like Carl Strauss. I worked with San Diego Brewing Company, Tiger Tiger, Blind Lady Alehouse. And through all this, I was studying Cicero as beer was really booming at that time. It's just sort of like having this own its own moment, essentially. And I noticed that beer was changing. It became more of a hospitality sort of thing. So you you started seeing it like people were coming to San Diego for beer, and I got so swept up in the in the concept of well gosh beer education, people, tourism. people are coming to San Diego to like experience and learn and grow with beer. And so I jumped into the Cicero program, began working with Ballast Point, and I saw the need for it there. I was working at the Ballast Point Little Italy location right by the airport and people would come in with their suitcases and they'd sit there and just do tasting and flights and you got to guide them and make them feel comfortable and excited about craft beer in San Diego. I became Bells Point's first certified Cicero and was able to just, you know, grow from there. but yeah, it all started from the the whole experience with with with Samuel Smith. And even funnier is I do photography and marketing for Kraft Beer Now. fast forward, you know, 15 years later. And I actually get to work with Samuel Smith products. So I I just came full circle. Now I'm photographing, you know, when Samuel Smith went into a a can, their nut brown ale. The first time it was canned, I got to photograph it. So it's funny how life does do that.

speaker-0: That's great, thank you.

speaker-2: So exciting to hear your story again, Jenny. Even even though I'm I'm familiar with it, it's just such a really interesting way that things kind of came together for you. And you launched your own your own you know social company, which is so exciting. you know, similarly I became enamored with beer. I started working at a wine bar while I was in my undergrad studies, and I develop my palate there, you know, and how do you learn through tasting. So got really excited about wine, really into wine. And then I was introduced to craft beer for the first time, I think probably like 2011. And I really didn't realize that the concept of like aged beers and and how they can change over time. And I thought that was just the wine thing. So I started on this kind of quest to go to all of these new emerging breweries. And at the time, this is when I was living in Chicago, there was a big boom in the Midwest. you know, between probably 2011 and 2015 of just breweries opening everywhere. I had decided, I was posting a lot of this on my personal Instagram account, and I had decided, why not make an Instagram account dedicated solely to beer? So in 2018, Beer Babe Jess, my Instagram handle was born. I launched a beer blog where I gave, you know, brewery coverage and travel tips and you know, awards news, all kinds of exciting blog posts, you know, dedicated to the craft beer scene, mostly in Chicagoland. And started hosting meetups for women. I saw this gap, and I wanted to build an inclusive culture and an inclusive community for women who like beer even if they didn't know anything about it. So, you know, 2018 to 2020, I was trading beer, I was going to festivals, I was traveling for beer, I was all over the country and met so many amazing folks and so many welcoming people, lots of really strong successful women in the beer community in Chicago. who, you know, I joke, they they put up with me. and all my picture taking and posting and you know, videos and all kinds of things. So that just kind of grew and I became known. I remember one time walking into Whole Foods in the suburbs of Chicago and I was I think I was buying beer and the clerk, the person working at the checkout said, Are you beer babe Jess? so it was really kind of a surreal moment to feel like I was able to kind of have a little bit of recognition for shining a light on breweries. just knowing that they needed that love. And so that was kind of my way of not just building community but shining that light and and you know, give giving love to breweries who were doing such hard work just for the liquid.

speaker-1: I

speaker-0: sorry.

speaker-1: I do have to say that that's how I met Jess was through social media and I've been following her for ages, just through through my social media account, Miss Beercraft. And like when you see another person who is promoting and lifting up the craft beer industry as a woman, that was just like a whole nother level. It was so exciting to find other people that were just as excited, if not more, like like they were sharing the information and and again, you know. in a whole nother part of our country even. It was incredible.

speaker-0: It's great. mean, social media is, you've both got excellent kind of social media platforms. mean, the, the level, the quality of the posts that you kind of put out about all these, that, know, the, travels that you go on, the different breweries you visit, it is inspiring. Like as somebody who doesn't get to the United States as much as I'd like to, I really do follow your accounts and sort of think like, that looks like such an amazing place. Like when we went to, we went to Texas, last year. I couldn't believe how many local brewery taprooms there were. mean, they were literally on every kind of street corner, every block in sort of like Houston and San Antonio and Austin. I think this is something that is really important to kind of highlight is in American kind of craft beer, the online network is incredible. mean, how have you gone about kind of curating and creating your online presence?

speaker-2: That's a question. I think, you know, at first I was just posting beer and then, you know, Instagram has changed over the years and it became you know, engagement became a little bit stronger when I kind of started showing who I really was, the person behind the account, right? And showing my face and and talking to camera, which is something I'm still not comfortable with. but it it it kind of just grew. I was getting new followers every day and people with the you know the word beer in their handle so it was immediate follow back and I've been blessed enough to be invited to meetups and be hosted at restaurants and bars and hotels and breweries all over the country and meet meet these people in real life and some of them have become my truest best friends. you know, I just can't imagine life without them. So it's such a it's such a blessing, even though, you know, I think Instagram has shifted a lot and there's been a lot of change in the algorithm and change and kind of how things work, but really it's become for me now really less about the beer and more about the community, more about the people and, you know, what they're doing in the community and and how they're, you know, you know, bringing value to to breweries. I think we we're we kind of know right now that, you know, in the US we're facing a lot of inflation, a lot of economic pressures. people are very cash conscious. and the the beer world has changed. you know, it's it's it's been tough to see breweries close, but I think the people who are you know, truly truly have the passion for the craft are are the ones who are still out there, you know, making making that liquid gold and and celebrating you know, the breweries who are doing it.

speaker-1: Yeah. No, that's a that's a really that's a really good point just with supporting and and and community. I have to, you know, agree with Jess on this. In the beginning, I was just keeping track of the beer I was drinking using my Instagram. and it was helping me with like my cicerone studies. I was, you know, taking pictures of the beer, writing down the information and And again, back then there was not the the the tools to study for Cicero like there are now. And we're so fortunate to have that now. but there also wasn't a huge community to study with. Like you had to find other like-minded people that, you know, to to to do this. And social media was a huge part in helping with that. I would be able to study with somebody, you know, in the Bay Area or on the East Coast. it it was, it's a very unique situation to have social media during that time period for that. And now now it's more like you're trying to support the brands, the businesses that are supporting craft beer that are whether they're brewing or they're pouring, you know, they they they purchase local or you know even education like get being able to get things from overseas and being able to talk about, you know, the beer that we don't get a chance to really try often here. So now it's going into these businesses and just really promoting and and and keeping alive like the the the craft beer community. And it's stronger than ever online as it can be in person. And I think that that's what we are really getting back to. It's like, cool, we can we can get the information out via social media and online, but Like just mentioned, like the meetups are are so important, whether it's for educational purposes, studying, supporting your friends' local business. at this point, I feel like now what I'm doing is just, you know, posting about places either I haven't been to yet, or you know, just letting people know about, you know, some of my my friends who own these businesses. and it's between usually between traveling and I work a lot in Portland and southwest Washington and And a lot of people up there, believe it or not, they don't use a lot of social media in in those parts of the country. They're just it's more Facebook related or you know, it's not as much Instagram or TikTok. So to get and share what's happening in certain parts of the country where they don't really, you know, market online. and getting to share that online where it gives them a bigger reach is huge.

speaker-0: That's really interesting. So in the UK we have a great network called Women in Beer and you have the Pink Boots Society. Is that all across the United States?

speaker-1: Yes, yes. pretty much every state, every county, every city, every area, you'll find a Pink Boots chapter. so on the East Coast in a smaller state as like New Hampshire, you'll probably just have like the New Hampshire chapter where San Diego, if I'm not mistaken, we are the largest chapter.

speaker-2: Mm.

speaker-1: If I'm not mistaken, we are the largest chapter. San Diego, San Diego County as itself. is a very large county in the state of California. and we have a lot of women in beer. I'm also a member up of the Pink Boots Society, not only in San Diego, but up in Portland. And Portland has a very active chapter as well. but there's also a lot of women brewers up there. And Pink Boots has really done a great job at at expanding just women in fermentation. it's women and non-binary in in fermentation. And in restaurants. If you if you sell beer, if you talk about beer, if you work in a hotel and you sell beer, Pink Boots wants you there. They want you there because you are there supporting. And it just helps with more of a getting the word out. So they've done a great job at at expanding the folks to be involved in it. It's it's been amazing. Plus their their scholarships, their education, they really do push it when it comes to to education and advancing careers through education. it's it's pretty amazing. It's very inspiring.

speaker-2: Yeah, in fact, I believe the San Diego chapter is the founding chapter. So not only the largest, but the founding, right?

speaker-1: It was Portland. Terry Farendorf is the original yeah, Pink Boots. so Terry Farendorf founded Pink Booth. So I think it I you know what? 'Cause she's she's up in Portland, but she did brew in California. Huh. We're gonna have to talk to her.

speaker-0: Yeah, get her off the next series.

speaker-1: Right. y I you probably should have her on. She's an incredible person and she's a wonderful storyteller.

speaker-0: So inclusivity in beer is a really important topic. mean, we think about it a lot as a brewery as well, my brewery crew on the Isle of Man. How important do you think these offline meetups are as well? like talk me through the kinds of events that you sort of host in San Diego and in Portland.

speaker-2: you know, I'm not affiliated with any other groups, but I just started hosting meetups for women at breweries, just you know, brewery tours, bottle shares, you know, all kinds of events for women's month, which is definitely super fun. March is a big, big month for I think a lot of women in beer. There a lot of brewery collaborations and women's day, brewery days where women come together from all walks of life in in the beer industry and brew beer together and connect and network and yeah it's just a really beautiful thing to see and I think after COVID folks were really just feeling that need for connectivity. you know I know I I know everyone experienced lockdown differently, but it was tough because I had so many events lined up. I was gonna be guest beer tending, I was going to be going to festivals et cetera, et cetera. And then everything kind of came to a halt. And, you know, having having craft beer happy hour on Zoom just doesn't hit the same. so it's been really great to to, you know, kind of get back to it in the last few years and you know, be able to attend these events and and meet folks from kind of all over the place. So I even had the opportunity to host a group trip to Munich where we drank beer together and folks from all over the country came and joined and and we had a grand old time. So that was such a such an amazing experience to really kind of travel internationally and and be be with craft beer lovers. We had a couple we had a couple people who work in breweries and you know a couple people who are just big craft beer fans. So definitely the in-person stuff I think is just critical to you know the human need for connection. and you know, beer is just I caught I say this in our book, beer is just it's the ultimate connector. I can basically get off of a plane anywhere in the country now and DM somebody on my Instagram and ask them to meet me for a beer and it's really cool because then I get to meet their family, their loved ones, get to know them and you know, you just become fast friends bonding over over beer.

speaker-1: Gosh, I love that so much, Jess. That's like such a real feeling too. That really is. Like going anywhere and just meeting up with people. And you know what? And and and that goes too for another thing with with with Pink Boot Society, and and their meetups, whether it's educational or just to connect, you can go anywhere in the country and go find another, you know, pink booter. And and that's the that's the really cool part. And social media has has done that that that same exact thing. And and even like with with what Jess was talking about, hosting these these meetups and getting people together, it also helps the business. When it comes right down to it, you're you're you're you're connecting with, you know, fellow beer level lovers and and connecting with people in general, but you're also showing up to a business and you're supporting them. And like I said, Jess has done an amazing job at getting people connected that way. and also Pink Booth will be celebrating their 20th anniversary next year. So it's been yeah, it's been it's been huge. and it should be, if I'm not mistaken, we're gonna be Golly, what will it be? I think it I think it's gonna be like next April. but it's coming up coming up quick. And it's you can always follow them on also on on social media. They're They're they're pretty active on there, just to get an idea of of some of the meetups that they do.

speaker-0: That's great. So Jess, you, just referred to your book, your new book, Rethink Everything You Know About Craft Beer. It says 23 personal stories from craft beer industry folks. Can you tell us a bit more about the process behind creating that book? Kind of how you put it together?

speaker-2: Yeah, absolutely. So Rethink Everything is a series. They've got a number of books out and many in the works. And the topics range from, you know, mortgages to social media to failure. So I had met the mastermind, Kyle Draper. the the Rethink Mastermind, he is a wonderful person, and I had met him because I Contributed a chapter to rethink everything you know about networking. And we met, of course, at a brewery, during our release event for the networking book. And he approached me and said, What do you think about writing Rethink Everything You Know About Craft Beer? And I said, consider it written. and I was lucky enough to coerce twenty twenty-ish of my beer beer industry friends. to share their story and really it's it's a it's a book about the people behind the pints and every chapter sort of invites you into their world and what it has meant to them to work in or belong to this culture of craft beer. So it's a really interesting way. I love I love the way the stories have just kind of knitted together to sort of share that really embedded love love of beer. And we've we were lucky enough to have release parties across different cities and have breweries who supported us in throwing these events and parties and shout out to old Irving in Chicago and Seek Beer Co in San Diego for allowing us to to take over their tap rooms and celebrate celebrate our book. The Beer Now is also a great Tap room with amazing craft beer and package beer to go in the Chicagoland area as well and and we had an another party there. because what's a what's a beer book release without a party at a brewery, right? So was super, super happy to have Jenny, especially knowing she's been in this in this world and immersed in this culture for quite some time and has has seen the evolution and has created such an amazing, you know, place for herself as far as her her her company goes. So yeah, definitely excited. The book is available on Amazon. and it's it's carried in a in a brewery in Knoxville. Shout out to Zool Brew, Zool B Brewing. They they were kind enough to to offer to stock their sales with our book as well. So still working on on getting the beer into more hands and more breweries and yeah, just excited for you know what's come of what's come of this great project.

speaker-1: Yeah, it was it was definitely a lot of fun and it made you think about like go back and really think about your journey through craft beer and to read everyone's stories, like to rethink everything you know about craft beer. It's not just like, I decided to brew one day. It's every person who just had a touch or a like something in craft beer, whether it's like their passion, their love, but everyone has their story when you say, Well. when you even ask somebody what was your first craft beer or what was your first I mean just even even your opening question for us. It's it's it's that question. And it makes you stop and go, wow, like there's so many different directions that beer has taken. Like I had no clue when I was in my early twenties I was going to be doing this. Like it's wild to look back and think about that. And what an amazing community and group of people. it's it's been an Awesome journey. And I think honestly, it's just going to continue to get better. Yes, we've had some some some closures. but at the same time, there's still new places opening up. it's it is it's pretty darn cool, not gonna lie.

speaker-0: So we talked briefly about the, I guess the, well actually we haven't, but Jess mentioned that you organize a trip to Germany to go on a kind of, I guess it's like a traditional German beer keller tour.

speaker-2: Yep. Mm-hmm.

speaker-0: How do you, so one of the things that I think comes up quite a lot is the influence of the US craft beer scene on the UK beer market. But one of the things we've noticed recently is actually it's kind of going the other way now. There's an awful lot more kind of German lager kind of popping up. There's German beer halls popping up all over the States. When I was last in New York, there was a huge movement for English, English caskale as well. So could you just... kind of give us a picture of how the European beer market is now influencing the US.

speaker-2: You know, I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that folks who've been drinking beer and and been involved in the craft beer scene for a while are now being a bit more mindful and looking for some like lower A B V options, right? I think, you know, ten ten, fifteen years ago, potentially, the market, you know, the folks didn't have kiddos and activities and we ca you know, they were things have changed, people have evolved and the and the fans tastes have changed a bit and I feel like folks are kind of moving away from like really, really heavy beers into you know, some of these like clean lagers. Potentially some some people are talking about how they just like burnt out on IPA. And I'm definitely one of those people. so I think we're looking now at this this shift to like this these heritage beers, right? The the classic styles. Clean, lighter, and like a little bit more sessionable. So I think, you know, we're I see this trend moving a bit away from the eight percent IPA to maybe the five point five or six percent Pilsner. Jenny would love to hear what you think. Yeah.

speaker-1: Yeah. and honestly, in the World Beer Cup and the Great American Beer Festival. So both of these awards and these these these ceremonies, these beer competitions, you see that. I mean, I remember 15 years ago, nobody was really entering much in the Pilsner category, and now it's one of the top categories entered. and and and again, like there's nothing like, you know, Southern California was like known, San Diego is known for you know, blown blown everybody out of the water for West Coast IPA. And now you know, you can go across, I mean, these awards are being scattered across the country now. So that's incredible to hear. And a lot of it is inspired by, you know, San Diego. Now Portland area, Pacific Northwest, they're killing it up there with with loggers. They're doing such an amazing job. one of the brands I currently work with is von Ebert Brewing. And they're, you know, they they knock it out of the park with their Pilsner. It's award winning. there's you know, gold dot heater allen. there's they're just knocking it out of the park with all these beautiful, I mean, just gorgeous laggers. And you see you you start to see the rest of the country also following suit. Again, when you hop on the the website for CBC, so the world, the World Beer Cup, the Great American Beer Festival, which will be happening in September, October, around then. you you just see the numbers of the entries and you're just blown away. West Coast IPA is still up there in, you know, c categorically like it's one of the highest entered, but th th the loggers are falling close behind. I mean people used to enter, you know, a logger into one of the beer categories, whether it's, you know, in Amber or Red or Pilsner, Kolsch, excuse me, not Kolsch. And just because there wasn't a lot of entries, they would just throw throw their beer in into that just just to see what would happen. but now it's now it's, you know, in the hundreds. Right. So

speaker-2: Please.

speaker-1: it's it's really it's really incredible to see that that movement. And I think I think you hit the nail the the head on the nail the nail, the nail on the head. Wow. Okay. So I think you got it, Jess. Palettes, palettes were and are evolving constantly. And I feel like that there is a little bit of a hop burnout. but also even like like the hops are even evolving here. So just again, being in the Pacific Northwest and being amongst all the hop farms, they're doing some incredible work with that. And now now what we're doing is we're taking these beautifully crafted hops and we're putting them into loggers to really showcase. So now we have like a modern style lager where we're showcasing, you know, hop profiles. just because of that clean, you know, you know, Pilsner base, essentially. so now you still get the the aroma of the hops, the lighter ABV. that West Coast Pilsner is, you know, a very popular style here now. And I know I'm a big fan of it. I'm a I was a huge hop head before. And now I'm like, wow, I still get the aroma. I still get like these notes of these, you know, incredible hops that, you know, are now in a in a in a pilsner. So it's a It's it's remarkable what they're doing right now.

speaker-0: So my final question for the both of you was really what are your kind of recommendations at the minute? What beers have you been drinking recently that you think are really incredible? Any kind of top cities, any top recommendations for anyone?

speaker-1: I'm gonna I'm gonna be a little biased straight out of the gate.

speaker-2: Same.

speaker-1: yeah. So San Diego, one of my favorite places to to drink beer at and has for a very long time, I will always say North Park Beer Company. they have Hop Foo, their West Coast IPA, is an incredibly decorated West Coast IPA. it is incredible and they've won many, many awards for it. And I just recently that just opened, I've been enjoying over at Good Pressure, and that's Eric and Shannon Fowler. they're doing some great stuff. they've literally just opened last year, but they are not new to the beer industry. They've they've worked in it. His background was White Labs. He was the executive director for the San Diego Brewers Guild. and then they just they created this amazing little brewery and it's a Awesome little family spot in like the suburbs, which has become very popular in in San Diego. People are making more breweries and tap rooms in neighborhoods, which is pretty cool. And then, of course, up in Portland, again, I'm gonna say von Ebert Brewing. they make some of my favorite beer volatile substances in Northwest IPA. And their clubhouse American Light Lager is Killer, again, very highly decorated. It won Gold and Silver World Beer Cup and Great American Beer Festival. So if you're ever in those areas, highly recommend you give a give them a shot.

speaker-2: Yeah, absolutely. And I would just I would just hearken to my roots. I have so much love for Chicago beer. There's just something about the water there. it just the the the beer is impeccable, it's so clean. really love what phase three is doing. I was just pouring at a festival here in San Diego with my Chicago friends from phase three. They've got this incredible Pilsner, the P3 Pills, Maplewood brewing. newer on the scene in Chicago Suncatcher Brewing. they're they are the cool kids on the block where all the industry folks are going and they actually focus solely on those you know pilsners and loggers. So it's definitely really cool to kind of see newcomers on the scene at a time where you know we are seeing a lot of closures. but yeah, I mean you can't just like you said, Elizabeth, anywhere from you know, Austin has great beer, Nashville's got great beer. I spent some time in Vegas. so I mean East Coast beer is is amazing as well. Lots of great breweries out in New York. so it's just we're we're lucky to have such, you know, range and and depth. but you know, it's it's like you said, you can kinda throw a rock and find a brewery these days, which is you know which is great. And you know, I I I feel I always have this kind of inside joke like, Well, if there's no lager on the menu, like I'm I'm out, you know, like I don't if it's all IPA, I'm I'm I I'm good. I'll maybe I'll have a little sour or a little stout, but yeah, all jokes aside, I think the the quality is really I think what sets folks apart these days. I mean you anyone can anyone can open a brewery and and br and brew beer, but I think there's this focus on you know, impeccable quality, as well as the energy and sort of the hospitality, as Jenny mentioned earlier. You know, how do I feel when I walk into a brewery? Do I feel welcome? Do I feel, you know, good? Do I feel like I belong? And I feel like the best breweries curate that culture carefully. So you know, I think that that has a lot to do with it. I think the beer tastes better when you feel good in your environment, right?

speaker-1: Yeah. Well, and and and I will I will shout out this too. It's like, make friends on online. It's it's it's not creepy like it used to be. I guess it could be creepy, but make friends online and find those friends that are, you know, like-minded, that love beer as much as you do, that have the passion, that want to see it thrive in small businesses and small breweries and see this community thrive. And anytime you make your way to another state, country, continent, you know, reach out. And Jess said it best. She's like, I can go anywhere and just reach out and be like, hey, you want to meet up for a beer? And how cool is that? I mean, that's what it should be. And that's that's the like mindedness of this community.

speaker-0: Join me next time for the final episode in series one. I'll be speaking to Neil Walker from the Indie Beer Campaign and Brian Spencer from Tap Social Brewery in Oxford, reflecting on the state of independent beer in the UK and hopes for the future as we look towards the second half of 2026.