The act of brewing and drinking beer has often been associated with masculinity although women have played vital roles in the whole beer supply chain. In light of Women’s Month, SAB spearheaded a historic moment with the launch of Bold Brew, a beer designed and brewed entirely by women.
SAB teamed up with five women who are passionate about empowering women and are passionate about the beer craft to create a special, limited edition, small-batch brew celebrating women in brewing.
In addition to Bold Brew being brewed by an all-women team, the beer’s ingredients were also selected by women members of the public via a poll run on SAB’s social media pages.
“We wanted to make a beer that embodied the characteristics of strong, independent women. We gave the public a chance to vote for ingredients that would form part of a ‘secret brew’, and then we put the results into the hands of a team of talented women to create both the beer and its packaging,” said Pranisha Maharaj SAB & AB InBev’s corporate reputation manager.
The aim of the campaign was to make the beer as broadly representative as possible. The brewing team comprised of women from diverse backgrounds and working in industries ranging from beer brewing to IT, design and film-making.
Overseeing the process was South Africa’s first black female brewmaster, Apiwe Nxusani-Mawela, who’s company – Brewsters Craft – was also responsible for brewing the beer.
“I think #BrewingTheBold is an amazing project, not only for those within the beer industry but for women in general. I want young women to believe in themselves, and to know that they can become great brewers, brewmasters, hop growers, and barley breeders,” said Nxusani-Mawela.
