On March 8, 2014 approximately 70 breweries around the world participated in the Women’s Brew Day by brewing Unite Pale Ale, including Pikes Peak Brewing Co. in Monument, Colorado. On March 21, PPBC’s Marketing Maven, Lari Collins visited The Riverhead Brewery in West Yorkshire, England to meet their lady brewer, Lisa Handforth and to sample her version of the Unite Pale Ale.
“I’d been planning a trip to the UK with my family for spring break since last fall, but when I heard about the Collaboration from our woman brewer, Aly Hartwig, I knew I needed to make a point of visiting a participating brewery in the UK.”, said Lari. “ The representative at the Ossett Brewery was very helpful in arranging a meeting between me and Lisa at The Riverhead Brewery and Pub in the gorgeous West Yorkshire village of Marsden. And once we arrived we were treated like royalty! Lisa gave us a tour of her brewing space and supplied my husband Pat and me with samples of some very fine real ales, including their version of the Unite Pale Ale. The brewing processes are slightly different in the UK, as are the ingredients – Lisa uses locally grown dried full hops (not the compressed pellets we are accustomed to) and barley, plus their fermentation is done in an open vessel, and real ales are cask conditioned, rather than carbonated giving them a smooth and creamy mouth feel. The late addition of loads of Cascade hops brought a lovely citrusy finish.”
“Even the bartender got into our visit modeling the t-shirt that we brought and letting me behind the bar for some photos. We really had the best time – I feel so lucky to have met Lisa, and I hope that we can maybe work together in the future to share beer recipes and work on collaborations . We are hopeful that we will someday even have Lisa visit us here at Pikes Peak Brewing Company!
A portion of the proceeds from the Unite Pale Ale will benefit the Pink Boots Society. The Pink Boots Society is a USA-based non-profit organization with an international membership, which helps women further their beer careers through scholarships and the educational programs.
For more information about International Women’s Collaboration Brew Day, visit Pink Boots Society’s webpage.
PPBC’s Unite Pale Ale will also featured at Ernie’s Bar & Pizza in Denver, during the Just BrewHers lady made beer tap takeover April 8-11.
Pikes Peak Brewing Co. is an award-winning brewery in Monument, Colorado dedicated to elevating the craft of beer. Our beers are full-flavored renditions of classic styles that are best enjoyed in the company of good friends. For more, visit PikesPeakBrewing.com
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