YCH brings women in beer together for annual hop blend
YCH’s Pink Boots Blend has become a well-known movement in the hop community, as brewers from all over the world incorporate this hop blend into beer recipes each year, in celebration and support of women in the brewing industry. For Pink Boots Society (PBS) and Yakima Chief Hops (YCH), creating the blend is half the fun, and quite the celebration itself.
Developing a hop blend is an art, and typically a more exclusive occasion where a small number of industry professionals gather around a table to rub, sniff and select from an array of hop varieties. However, in the spirit of diversity, collaboration and women empowering women, a new Pink Boots Blend is created each year by inviting more than 100 PBS members from across the country. The women stand side by side, discussing aromas and possible beer styles, making it a special annual gathering.
While it definitely poses a logistical challenge, over the past few years, PBS and YCH have developed the perfect system for incorporating feedback from the large number of participants. Not only does it result in a truly collaborative hop blend, but it’s also a fun, uplifting and inspiring event.
“The Pink Boots rub meeting is an exciting event to be a part of,” says Kelsi Baggarley, YCH Customer Service Specialist for the Pacific region. “As each PBS meeting is a time to connect and educate, we get to shine a light on hops and share our knowledge to a room of around 100 members.”
“Living in the heart of hop country, I find this exciting to be able to offer this possibility to those who may have never been able to be hands on or part of a selection process before. It’s a time to hear what members from all over the world like in certain varieties and see the excitement from those who have never selected before.”
Yakima Chief Hops is thrilled that the Pink Boots Blend has led to this wonderful tradition of uniting women-in-beer over a shared passion for hops. We look forward to kicking off a new blend each year with this event.
With that, we are excited to announce the release of the 2020 Pink Boots Blend, following the selection event at the Great American Beer Festival. This upcoming blend consists of Azacca®, El Dorado®, Idaho Gem™ and Loral®, creating a blend with tropical, citrus and piney aromatic qualities.
We encourage all brewers to submit a presale order for the blend by December 15th to ensure it is shipped and received in time to brew on International Women’s Day on March 8th. The blend is produced and sold by Yakima Chief Hops as traditional T-90 hop pellets with limited availability, and $3 per pound sold will be donated to the Pink Boots Society scholarship fund.
