\u201cAs a 39-year-old queer female brewer, I noticed a large gap in Utah\u2019s gay scene,\u201d she says. \u201cWhile we have several nightclubs, there really wasn\u2019t a lot of \u2018neutral\u2019 gay space. I\u2019m talking about a place to gather casually, have conversation, and still be home in bed by 10.\u201d<\/p>\n
With an \u201cif you build it, they will come\u201d approach, Sapula and the SaltFire team\u2014Sapula says the production staff is by pure happenstance predominantly LGBTQIA+\u2014brew an annual Pride beer<\/a> for which they invite all local LGBTQIA+ brewers to come help brew; partner with local organizations such as Project Rainbow<\/a> (empowering the Utah LGBTQIA+ community and providing financial support through a community fund) and Rift<\/a> (bolstering community and inclusion among LGBTQIA+ individuals via outdoor activities); and hold year-round events to create space for the LGBTQIA+ community, from low-key tie-dye nights to big Pride Month parties. To Sapula, it\u2019s about \u201cmeet-ups where you can find new friends, or even just look around and feel surrounded by your community. Growing up, being able to even do the latter would have made a world of difference to me.\u201d<\/p>\n For members of the LGBTQIA+ community who love craft beer and are trying to find their way in an industry that hasn\u2019t always felt the most inviting, Sapula says she thinks it\u2019s \u201cextremely important to be visible, to be an advocate, and to compassionately educate others when needed\u2026[And,] find a brewery or employer that supports you no matter what creed you come from. The thing about craft beer is it brings people together. I truly believe there is space and a pint for everyone at the table. We\u2019re here, we\u2019re queer, we belong in beer.\u201d<\/p>\n It was a big risk for Bri Burrows to dive into the world of craft beer professionally, but it\u2019s one that\u2019s paid off in dividends from the beer she\u2019s been able to brew to the causes she\u2019s been able to lift up. Burrows started homebrewing when her family thought it would be fun to make their own beers for each other, and she was inspired by how creative brewing turned out to be. She left a \u201cpretty cush 9-to-5 desk job\u201d in 2016 to start bartending, and at The Big Rip,<\/a> she worked her way up from bartender to head brewer to co-owner.<\/p>\n Burrows is proud of her lagers throughout the years, especially considering how intimidating lager brewing can be, and also loves a gluten-free beer she made called Fire Tree<\/a>, brewed with sorghum and honey with pineapple puree, jalape\u00f1os, and roasted tomatillos. In terms of the collaborations, partnerships, and advocacy Burrows\u2019s position as The Big Rip co-owner has provided the platform for, she is excited that she recently got to brew at Side Project Brewing<\/a> in St. Louis. \u201cI [also] brewed with Lady Justice<\/a> in Colorado, a female queer-owned-and-operated brewery. My favorite collab so far, though, is when I brewed with Lily [Waite] from Queer Brewing<\/a> out of the UK\u2026We jammed to Good Charlotte while brewing a boysenberry IPA called Try and Tear Me Down!<\/a> and donated all the proceeds to a local LGBTQ+ charity organization.\u201d Burrows also partnered with Missouri\u2019s first Black-owned brewery, Vine Street Brewing Co.<\/a>, on a Pride beer honoring Storm\u00e9 DeLarverie<\/a>, \u201ca butch lesbian who was a pioneer for Gay Liberation in New York and protector of all young queers.\u201d That beer will be released at The Big Rip\u2019s first ever Queer Dyke Night event on June 21.<\/p>\n While Pride celebrations are a vital element of June and all that it represents, Burrows stresses the importance of this kind of work during the 11 other months. \u201cMost breweries in [Kansas City]\u2014and most businesses everywhere, honestly\u2014only focus on the LGBTQ+ community in June. As a member of this community, I know how it important it is to take care of it year-round.\u201d<\/p>\n Burrows says she is excited to see growth in craft beer, with more female, queer, and\/or BIPOC brewers working now in the Kansas City area. She sees a bright future with organizations such as the Pink Boots Society and Crafted for Action. \u201cI love seeing more and more rainbows on beer cans and more rainbow tap handles from folks that actually support the LGBTQ+ communities year-round.\u201d There\u2019s still a ways to go, though, and Burrows plans on being part of that progress, from educating queer-owned bars and restaurants on the brands they\u2019re supporting to making sure queer events include queer-brewed beers.<\/p>\n Danielle Snowden discovered Earthbound Beer<\/a> upon moving to St. Louis in 2014 and trying their Chicken and Waffles blonde ale<\/a>. Struck by the brewery\u2019s creativity, Snowden asked about bartending there after returning from a year living in New Zealand for AmeriCorps and further honing a beer appreciation. Starting in 2017, she bartended, washed kegs, guided tours, worked the canning line, and started brewing, working her way up to head brewer.<\/p>\n At Earthbound, Snowden has been able to flex some serious creative muscles, from her Cookie Brown ale<\/a>, with a recipe she wrote inspired by oatmeal raisin cookies, to the Out and About braggot<\/a>, which Snowden releases every year for Pride. Now in its sixth year, Out and About is a hibiscus and lavender braggot that debuted for 2024 on June 1.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery year we choose a local LGBTQIA+ nonprofit to collaborate with and donate funds to,\u201d Snowden says. \u201cIn the past we have worked with Metro Trans Umbrella Group<\/a>, PROMO<\/a>, and SQSH<\/a>; this year we are partnering with Food Outreach<\/a>. [They] provide nutritional support and enhance the quality of life of low-income men, women, and children living with HIV\/AIDS or cancer. My uncle Brent lost his battle with HIV\/AIDS back in 1990 when he was only 25 years old. I think about him all the time and try to honor him whenever I can.\u201d<\/p>\n Community and collaborations are Snowden\u2019s favorite part of being in the craft beer industry. She says she loves using the taproom space for getting people together and raising awareness and funds, and also for pushing for a more diverse industry. Snowden is especially proud of collaborations with Bow & Arrow\u2019s Native Land<\/a>, Blacktoberfest<\/a>, Earthdance Farms<\/a>, Arch City Defenders<\/a>, and Metro Trans Umbrella Group. Most recently, Earthbound partnered with The ExBeerience<\/a> to create a beer for Juneteenth, picking a local historical Black figure to highlight and a local nonprofit to donate proceeds to. In addition to all of these projects, Earthbound makes its space intentionally inclusive by offering affordable wedding options, a concept launched by co-owners Stuart Keating and Kristina Goodwin. \u201cUnfortunately, a lot of LGBTQIA folks don\u2019t have that generational wealth and raising funds on your own is really difficult,\u201d Snowden says. For a nominal fee, couples can book Earthbound\u2019s space, choose from Snowden or Keating as an officiant, and have flower and dessert options.<\/p>\n From collaborations to maintaining a meaningfully inclusive atmosphere, Snowden says it\u2019s important to the Earthbound team to be politically involved. \u201cBy getting involved in these various projects we are using our platform to raise awareness, promote diversity and inclusion, support local businesses and organizations, and foster community engagement and dialogue.\u201d<\/p>\n Kelissa Hieber was professionally involved in organizing around racial, worker, and queer rights in Ohio when she picked up homebrewing as a hobby. Feeling burned out by work and inspired by the creativity of brewing, Hieber decided to apply her passion for advocacy to craft beer.<\/p>\n \u201cI did love all the things that craft beer could offer but I wasn\u2019t seeing a lot of diversity, even just straight white women, at the breweries we were going to,\u201d Hieber says. \u201cI wanted to create a space that could change some of that and turn it into more of a real community.\u201d She moved to Denver and completed a college craft brewing certification program, following that with an internship and then a job at TRVE Brewing<\/a>. In 2015, she started bartending at the just-opened Goldspot Brewing<\/a>. Within a few months, she was an assistant brewer there; by 2016 she was head brewer; by 2018, a 25 percent co-owner; and by 2021, Hieber was full owner.<\/p>\n Hieber sees opportunity for inclusion in beer itself. By brewing beers such as Prickly Pear Hibiscus Sour<\/a>; Tropicolo<\/a>, a tropical stout with tea; and Brut IPA with Pinot Gris grapes<\/a>, she opens Goldspot\u2019s doors to those who have never before felt that craft beer is for them. \u201cWhen I was bartending and brewing, whenever anyone came in that wasn\u2019t a white guy, I\u2019d have them try three different [beers of the moment],\u201d Hieber says. White men coming into a craft brewery tend to have existing ideas of what they want, Hieber believes, whereas new-to-beer consumers especially from marginalized backgrounds are commonly subjected to wrong, overly simplified, and often gendered stereotypes about their preferences. Many women come to craft beer as wine drinkers, for example, Hieber notes, and may lean toward something like a saison. \u201cThey don\u2019t necessarily want a K\u00f6lsch or light beer, and a lot of people are just serving them that.\u201d Hieber sees these stereotypes as a form of gatekeeping she wants to break down.<\/p>\nBri Burrows | The Big Rip Brewing Co., North Kansas City, Missouri<\/h2>\n
![\"woman](\"https:\/\/cdn.craftbeer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/20240613113605\/bri-posing-with-beer-in-front-of-big-rip-brewing-co.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\nDanielle Snowden | Earthbound Beer, St. Louis, Missouri<\/h2>\n
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<\/figure>\nKelissa Hieber | Goldspot Brewing, Denver, Colorado<\/h2>\n
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