SheBrew Brewers Highlight Beers & History of 10th Annual Female Brewfest
This Saturday, March 8th is the 10th annual SheBrew, one of the many successful Oregon beer festivals countering the narrative that beer festivals are dead. What makes SheBrew different is how it centers women and non-binary Brewers by solely highlighting their beers and ciders and their sizeable, if often under-represented and essential contribution to the craft industry. This year’s SheBrew will feature 47 beers and ciders made by women for the festival, and dozens more by homebrewers which will be shared during the early session on Saturday.
SheBrew was founded by Stef-Anie Wells Koty of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and her wife, Jamie Koty, who was on the board of the Oregon Brew Crew at the time, as well as fellow OBC member and beer festival organizer Jenn McPoland. From the first event held in 2015 at the Q Center, SheBrew has been a female and female-identifying brewers showcase for both amateurs and professionals. The 2024 SheBrew Festival had a record attendance, skyrocketing from about 50 people at their first annual event to an estimated 1,800 last year.
“It's insane to think we've been doing this for 10 years!” exclaims co-organizer Jenn McPoland. “It is a testament to the talent of, and growth of presence of women in the industry here. I never thought we'd get this big!”
SheBrew is presented by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and the Portland-based homebrewing club the Oregon Brew Crew. 100% of all proceeds go to the HRC which is the largest national lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender & Queer civil rights organization with more than 3 million members. HRC envisions an America where LGBTQ people are ensured of their basic equal rights, and can be open, honest and safe at home, at work and in the community.
Gloria Zeiger, head brewer of Portland’s Ground Breaker Brewing, was first introduced to SheBrew by one of the festivals first year brewers Lee Hedgemon. Just before the COVID-19 pandemic shut everything down, Zeiger had the opportunity to work with Hedgemon (a former brewer, distiller, and now entrepreneur behind The Barreled Bee) on her 2020 SheBrew entry Welcome Back to Oz Trippel.
“Being a female head brewer can be an isolating experience,” says Zeiger. “In my previous roles in wine production, I was often the only woman in the space. But the open arms and encouragement from Jenn McPoland, Teri Fahrendorf, James Neumeister, and Jesse Bufton have not only made me a better brewer but a more confident one. I deeply value female-focused spaces—whether it’s my alma mater, Saint Mary's College, or organizations like Pink Boots Society—so being part of SheBrew is incredibly meaningful to me.”
The first time Zeiger was able to participate in SheBrew with her own recipe was with a memorable Carrot Cake Cream Ale in 2023. This year marks her third SheBrew in a row, where she will debut a Mexican-style lager called Love Your Body.
For Zeiger, being an under-represented member of the beer industry is not the only challenge. As someone with Celiac disease, she often can’t even try most of the beers herself at risk of serious adverse health risks. She takes that as a challenge to find her inspiration in her personal drive to experience styles of beer that would be difficult to find gluten-free.
“Lately, I’ve been really drawn to refreshing lagers, which led me to brew a Czech Pilsner and, for this event, the Love Your Body Mexican Lager. At Ground Breaker, our brewing process is similar to traditional methods, but we adapt by designing recipes with alternative grains. For this lager, I used malted rice and millet, carefully adjusting the water chemistry to replicate the crisp, clean flavors described by my friends in their favorite lagers.”
Old Town Brewing brewer Celia Nappi is also entering SheBrew for her third time in 2025 with Lucy Lawless Battle Rye, a rye lager. She also had the opportunity to collaborate with the women of Baby Doll Pizza on a second entry in an experimental IPA called Boyz Wanna Be Her.
“There are so many things that make this festival truly great,” says Celia. “If I had to pick just one, it would be the care and craft that so many incredibly talented women makers put into some really unique and incredible beer and beverage. Then all of us being able to come together and share it with not only great people, but each other in one place. It’s such a fun and welcoming experience, and for such a great cause!”
Lucy Lawless Battle Rye is named after actress Lucy Lawless who portrayed the cult-favorite title character in Xena Warrior Princess in the late 90’s. Celia was inspired by her love of all things rye and one morning’s decision to spread some orange marmalade across a thick slice of fresh rye bread.
“It has a soft bready Vienna malt character, lovely orange hop flavor throughout, ginger and caraway added as late boil additions for a bit of complexity, and a nice spicy rye finish,” says Celia of her Lucy Lawless Battle Rye.
The second entry from Old Town Brewing, Boyz Wanna Be Her, is an experimental IPA inspired by the music coming out of the Baby Doll kitchen. “You’ll often hear Peaches, and just about any other genre of music you could think of,” adds Celia. The beer was fermented with saison yeast and hopped with some of her favorite new varieties. They then packed in real peaches, and spiced it with basil, and black peppercorns. At 7% abv this quirky beer is sure to throw SheBrew Festival goers for a loop. “It was such a great time getting people learning and excited about the whole process start to finish. I think that really shows up in this beer,” adds Celia.
Lara Hargrave is the head R & D brewer for Great Notion Brewing where she gets to have fun creating fruit and special ingredient packed culinary beers and hazy IPAs, while also pushing to bring back more traditional and classic beer styles to the draft list. This will be her 5th year participating in SheBrew will her entry Chicken Fried Steak.
Lara says SheBrew is always a highlight of her year both in creating her own fun and sometimes off-the-wall entries, as well as trying those from her friends and colleagues. “Many brewers , especially in the production capacity don’t get the opportunity to dabble in recipe development as much as we’d like. It’s a chance to see some unique brews that reflect the personality of those who brew it. I am excited to try the Riesling radler from TPK Brewing and the dry Irish stout from Von Ebert Brewing.”
Chicken Fried Steak is not as wild as it sounds, no chicken, steak or frying was involved. The beer is a second go at Lara’s SheBrew entry from last year which was a Texas-style Bock (think Shiner Bock), but this year it has been hybridized with a Mexican-style Dark Lager. “I brewed it last year and it was so well received I had to do it again with a few tweaks,” says Lara.
“As far as the name goes I wanted to name it after a Texas delicacy, Chicken Fried Steak. I had a friend send me a bunch of Bocks from Texas and I tried them all and landed on a recipe that blends all of it together. Some Pilsner, corn, Munich malt and dark malts. It’s a crushable amber lager that you don’t see a lot of up here.”
This year SheBrew heads from their venue the past two years at The Redd and relocates to N. Portland at the Left bank Annex at 101 N Weidler Street Portland Oregon next to Upright Brewing near the Rose Quarter and Moda Center. The new venue at Leftbank Annex will have more space and continue to be split up into two sessions to reduce crowding. Organizers promise More food options, more vendors, more family friendly activities, and more beer and cider.
Get your tickets for SheBrew early at the $35 presale rate ($40 at the door) and get the early session tickets asap as it is the only one featuring the homebrewers entries and it will likely sell-out. Better yet, get the $65 VIP pass that offers early access and entry to both sessions (with an hour long break.)