Women brewers make their mark in Buffalo, New York
American Barbara Veres, former co-chair of an organisation called Buffalo Beer Goddesses, facilitated the introduction to one of the female micro-brewers in Buffalo New York.
POLOKWANE – At a meeting held at the New York Beer Project, one of the many micro (craft) beer halls in Buffalo, Vandra Ruppel (29) relates how she became one of the first female micro-brewers in the area.
The tall, slight woman said she has hidden strength due to her years of rock climbing and is thus able to move the heavy kegs easily.
Her path to brewing was as a result of a family tragedy. “I was living in Wilson but spent most of my time in the small town of Gasport to help my mother look after my father. My father, in his early 50s, became deathly ill due to a genetic malformation in his brain. This led to aneurysms, coma and his death after a year-long battle. After he died I moved in to help my mom. I’d been an administrative assistant in electronic installations and desk work really didn’t suit me. I waitressed while at home and this led to the job that I’m passionate about at a newly opened brewery in Wilson, the first micro-brewery in Niagara county. I helped paint the outside of the building and the owner, Tim Woodcock, offered me a job. That was five years ago. There was only one other female brewer in the area, now there are more than a dozen. It’s a tough job as it’s dirty, manual work. As I wanted to brew full-time, I enrolled at Niagara College in Ontario, Canada for a course in brew master and brewery operations management.
“I love the science and the maths behind the brewing as well as the hands-on work. Woodcock started with four craft beers and now has six flagships and three rotational craft beers.
“I love the creativity of brewing and building the recipes which involves maths. There’s a collaborative spirit among brewers and Buffalo Beer Goddesses meet regularly to discuss product. Local ingredients are always tried and the Buffalo area has an abundance of fruit that can be incorporated such as apples, maple syrup, cherry, peach and grapes,” she said.
Micro-brewing began in America in the late 1980s on the West Coast. It became popular in the 1990s, and is now on a major upswing. There are some 5 000 craft breweries serving the American population.
“My all-time favourite craft beer is Edmund Fitzgerald. I call it Eddie Fitz. It’s named after a famous boat and is brewed at Great Lakes Brewing in Cleveland, Ohio. It has a roasty character with a malt forward.
“Eye-catching label design on micro beers is also trending as is the canning of craft beer,” she concluded.
• Sue Ettmayr is a freelance writer who recently visited the US.
