T he early-evening sun glitters. A low din emanates from a gathering crowd, the clink of glasses set down on the bar clatters like a small orchestra. Light summer wind travels through the open garage doors facing India Point Park — it is 5:30pm at Narragansett Brewery and the air is as golden as the crisp pilsner that froths from the tap. Lee Lord, Narragansett’s “Brew Master,” looks at me as we share a delicious pint. She raises an eyebrow, a small smile forming as she remarks, “In a pilsner, there is nowhere to hide. If you’re not a good brewer, then your pilsner will not be good.”
Beer drinking is often stereotyped as a masculine pleasure, yet its early brewers were women. In sixteenth century, England, beer was the predominant drink. Brewers were frequently the wives of working-class men, or the “Alewives.” According to an article published by the Museum of Oxford, “It wasn’t merely that women were able to take part in the brewing industry — they dominated it.”
Women began making ale for their families and realized they could sell the extra to their communities. It was a practical way for families to generate a little extra income and it provided the women with an unusual amount of financial freedom. Not only was it fiscally advantageous, but it was also a great way to build and support relationships within their community. Now, six centuries later, from Northern to Southern Rhode Island, there are nearly as many breweries as there are miles.
Tamara McKenney and Kristin Waugh own Apponaug Brewing Company in Warwick. Their colorful attire mirrors the sunset hue walls of their brewery. You may not expect to walk into a brewery and find two older women running the show, an assumption Mckenney and Waugh scoff at. McKenney leans back in her chair, saying, “I think historically beer drinkers are thought to be men, but 50% of the people that drink beer are women. The job of the brewer itself is physically demanding, but why you have to have a beard to do that… I just don’t know. I just don’t know.”
When McKenney and Waugh started Apponaug Brewing Company in 2018, their biggest monster wasn’t sexism, but ageism. McKenney recalls, “Maybe the ageism was so over the top that the sexism didn’t enter into it. People would look at what we wanted to do, and we would get a little pat on our head like, ‘What do two middle-aged women know?’” Their age worked to their benefit because, unlike their younger counterparts, they had years of life experience to help them manage the unavoidable calamities of owning a business, like when COVID hit, and when their entire building flooded. They are also both mothers, so they keep their ABV low, and shut down early, since McKenney knows, “Nothing good happens after midnight.”
Lori Witham, owner of Proclamation Ale Company in Warwick, fell into her role a little differently. When her husband created the company in 2017, she began as a graphic designer, then moved into a full[1]time position as creative director. When he passed away in 2020, she found her[1]self stuck: a limbo between letting go and moving forward. Witham reflects, “It was a crazy unexpected turn and life path for me. I saw only one avenue, continuing the brewery and the vision. It was our life.” Witham gracefully transitioned into her new position, seeing no other option than to continue her and her late husband’s business. Her husband no longer with her, Witman had to face the reality of being a woman-owned business in a male-dominated sphere. She says, “It is like you’re getting into a little bit of a boys club. There is still a lot of inequality, and there is lots of work to do.” On the flip side, she adds that Rhode Island has been doing a great job bridging the gap, making it a comfortable and safe place for women brewers. Lord, the Narragansett “Brew Master,” is a mad scientist. She creates all the new brews for Narragansett by researching the history of brewing in pursuit of flavor profiles that appealed to the first ale drinkers. It is an original way to connect the past to the present. Her career started when she walked into her local pub and said, “Hey, I’m really interested in beer. Can I help you out by mopping?” They didn’t pay her anything, until she negotiated $100 a week. After that, she said she kept learning and “making myself indispensable.”
Now, because of her love for beer — and years of hard work — Lord heads the brewery that produces New England’s oldest beer. It was an overwhelming position at first, until she asked for help. She says, “One of the hardest things when you’re a woman in the brewery industry is admitting and asking for help.” McKenney commented on this, noting, “If you’re a woman, your choice is to speak up and lose your job, or you tolerate it, and create a culture where it’s okay.” The best part of the brewery industry is not the money, or the beer, but the people. Witham loves “to be so close to the people that are consuming the product. It’s fun to be able to see the start and the finish, the smiles on everyone’s faces.” McKenney agrees, “You’re making people happy. Beer is just cheery.” Lord’s advice for success? “Outlasting the little bitches, and they were all men. Outlasting the bastards.”
