The Women’s Beer and Spirits Collective – which has added female representatives from more breweries and, this year, three spirits companies – works to boost awareness of women working in the typically male-dominated world of brewhouses and distilleries.
The collective includes reps from Tullamore D.E.W., State Line Distillery, Brown-Forman, 3 Floyds and WarPigs USA, 3 Sheeps Brewing Co., Bell’s Brewery, New Belgium Brewing Company, Downeast Cider House, Founders/Avery Brewing, Great Lakes Brewing Co., New Barons Brewery Cooperative, Revolution Brewing, Surly Brewing Co., Young Blood Beer Co. and Saturday.
The collective is hosting its third year of events for the 2024 Women’s Month in March, with a goal of raising $10,000 for Milwaukee's Sojourner Family Peace Center, Pink Boots Society and Safe Harbor Sheboygan.
Last year, the initiative raised $8,000, double the initial goal, and up from $2,119 the first year.
The events will be held at venues in a number of Wisconsin cities and details on each can be found on Facebook.
The series kicks off with a 6 p.m. event Friday, March 1 at Izzy Hops Swig & Nosh at 2311 N. Murray Ave.
Among the participating venues are 3rd Street Market Hall, Bad Moon, The Brass Tap, Cactus Club, Cafe Centraal, Dugout 54, Elwood’s, Heirloom MKE, Hi-Hat Lounge, Holey Mackerel, New Barons Brewing, Sugar Maple, Up North Tavern, The Vault, Walker’s Pint and X-Ray Arcade in Milwaukee; Highland House in Mequon; MKE Burger Co. in Franklin; Hounds and Tap in Menomonee Falls; Reunion and Station No. 6 in West Allis; The Void in Racine; Captain Mike’s in Kenosha; and Aftershock, Craftsman, Dexter’s, I/O Arcade and Lucille in Madison.
A range of other venues will also host special offers and donations during Women’s Month, including 3 Sheeps Brewing Co. (Sheboygan), Camino (West Allis); Erv’s Mug (Oak Creek); Draft & Vessel (Wauwatosa); Forward Craft & Coffee (Madison) and Bars and Rec locations, Camino and Dugout 54 in Milwaukee.
“We are so excited for year three of our women’s month events," says Julianna Pierandozzi, sales representative for 3 Sheeps Brewing Co. and co-founder of the Women’s Month initiative. "We have new faces, new companies and new partners to execute our goal of bringing women in the industry together and raising money for Sojourner Family Peace Center.
“We will have almost 40 unique events throughout the month for people to participate in and support our cause.”
Pierandozzi’s 3 Sheeps Brewing is also releasing a special Women’s Month beer created by cellar team member Kate Thomma.
3 Sheeps will donate 50 cents per pint of the Lady Lupulin IPA sold at its Sheboygan taproom, 1837 North Ave., to Safe Harbor of Sheboygan.
The beer is a Pink Boots Society partnership beer brewed with HBC636, El Dorado, Ahtanum and Idaho 7 hops and clocking in at 6 percent ABV.
"I am so honored to once again be a part of this year's Pink Boots brewing collaboration," says Thomma. "This year we decided to do something a little different from last year. We will be including the IPA, which we are calling Lady Lupulin, into the 3 Sheeps Hop Pack.
“We are also brewing a fruit variation just for our taproom! I'm excited to share Lady Lupulin with everyone."
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
