Often when we launch new beers we tell you all about the ‘what’. What flavours you can expect, what hops we used, exactly what it is that makes this beer so damn tasty.

With Brave Noise I want to tell you about the ‘why’. Why we've brewed the beer and why change is needed.

In May 2021 Brienne Allan posted what looked like a very simple question on Instagram: "Have you ever experienced sexism in the beer industry?"

The reaction was an out pouring of hurt from the beer community with allegations of sexism, harassment, bullying and assault. Stories from people who had suffered. Some in silence, some shouting loudly, some too scared to complain, some who had complained and been punished for it. I shared my experiences - of being objectivised, touched, of having to run away from situations to stay safe, feeling solidarity with my peers and wanting to show the extent of the problems in the industry that I love. I felt hopeful that this online revolution might herald the start of meaningful change.

It's working, but I'll be honest, it's slow. Often it feels that people only pay attention when there's a headline or shocking new revelation - once the excitement dies down it's back to normal. That's why being part of this project, and supporting it if you can, is so important - the task is big but it is achievable if we all try. The more people are brave and make noise the faster things get better.

The Brave Noise project was inspired by the reaction to Brienne's post with a clear aim: A SAFE AND DISCRIMINATION-FREE BEER INDUSTRY. Breweries create a code of conduct (if they don't already have one) and commit to it. They brew a beer, donate proceeds from that beer to a charity or organisation that helps move the industry towards the goal, and, to me most importantly, make as much noise as possible to tell people about the issues faced and show that change is necessary.

If you think beer should be safe and discrimination free (and I really, really hope you do) what can you do to make things better? Buy this beer, or any Brave Noise beer, follow Brave Noise and The Coven (who we're donating to) and support the other breweries who have brewed for the project. To me the most important thing you can do is to talk to your friends. Send them this blog, send them the A Woman's Brew Podcast and ask them to listen to the episodes about Brave Noise. Call them out when you don't think they are behaving the way they should and be brave enough to have hard conversations.

The people who are the problem have friends. Those who think that sexist jokes and inappropriate comments are OK, people who grab someone's bum or brush their breast accidentally because they class it as funny rather than as sexual assault all have friends and people who are friends with their friends. They are not out there alone and the things they do are not without witnesses. If you can talk to one person and tell them that you don't think how they behave is OK, then we're moving in the right direction. And you won't be alone.

One of the most positive things about working on our Brave Noise project has been the support of our customers and the wider beer community. It’s sometimes easy to feel overwhelmed by negative stories but there are many people out there already making beer a better place.

Tori Powell is a beer podcaster and blogger who has been flying the flag for Brave Noise since it's inception and her passion for it was one of drivers for us to create our own Brave Noise beer. When asked to sum up why Brave Noise was so important to her, she said: “The Brave Noise movement is important to me because I can still find mostly unchallenged comments that – for example – are sexualising the beer drinker or expressing anger when a brand takes steps to create a more inclusive community as well as stopping to analyse my own content before uploading to ensure it’s neither not enough or too much – too revealing, too wordy, too feminine, too amateur..“

“This isn’t how it should be for anyone” Tori continues “and so we continue to be brave and make noise until this movement becomes redundant and everybody can feel safe and welcome within any beery location regardless or race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation or being too much, too little, too anything. Whatever makes you ‘you’ should be celebrated and participating in brewing and spreading the word of the Brave Noise is the one thing within my power I can do towards this end goal. I won’t begin to feel satisfied with these conversations until I find myself and my friends who identify within the minority demographic of beer drinkers talking more about the beers we loved and hated at an event or location more than the negative comments or inappropriate behaviour we had to grin and bear for a variety of self-policing reasons society has made our problem.”

Tori‘s comments regarding beer events really hit home with me. You only need to look at Twitter or Instagram after a beer festival or other beer event to find accounts of multiple examples of the negative behaviour towards women and minorities. The chat isn't about amazing beers, it's about inappropriate behaviour or worse. These are issues covered in detail by beer writer Emmie Harrison-West - I would strongly recommend reading her articles for more on this. They don’t make for easy reading with women reporting micro aggressions and derogatory comments at best, rape at worst, but they show the reality of attending these kind of events. From a personal perspective I dread beer festivals and larger events rather than looking forward to them. After countless instances of being grabbed and touched without permission, being talked down to or simply ignored, the events I used to look forward to as highlights in my year now promote anxiety rather than excitement.

The good news is that progress in this area is happening, if slowly. Following multiple reports where events have failed to keep customers, volunteers and staff safe, some are now putting plans in place to significantly improve - with codes of conduct becoming more common. A few have taken things a step further and are planning to work with The Coven for their 2023 events and we're delighted that proceeds from the sale of our Brave Noise will fund the training of two Wellness Officers to help make beer events safer for all.

Marielle Wertheimer-Price and Freya Cochrane respectively own and manage Olaf’s Tun in Woolston, one of our launch venues. They see real value in supporting The Coven’s Wellness Officer Program and commented that “Beer festivals and events have often caused much anxiety for women and gender non-conforming folk due to codes of conduct being too lax and lacking tangible consequences. Having a dedicated team present to support people who need it and to stand up for those at the receiving end of inappropriate behaviour is important not only for the wellbeing of attendees, but also because it sends a clear message that we will no longer tolerate abusive behaviour within these events. The more breweries, pubs, festival organisers and customers that support initiatives like Brave Noise and The Coven, the quicker we can give the finger to discrimination in the beer industry and show it the door it never should have walked through in the first place.”

Jules Gray runs Sheffield’s Hop Hideout and is a leading female voice in the industry. Asked why Brave Noise were important, she commented: “As a female-led beer business Hop Hideout is passionate about supporting women and minorities in the industry. In addition to promoting equity and inclusion within the sector. Projects such as Brave Noise are a powerful and important way to action positive change and we’re thrilled to see more breweries get behind the message, such as Elusive. “

Jules continued “As a new mother to a baby girl, I’m positive about the changes we’re seeing, the opportunities opening up for women in the beer trade (about time!) and my desire to see equity for the current and ongoing generations. Beer needs to be a welcoming space for everyone and we all need to be making this happen and stay vigilant to ensure that it is sustained. It’s such a good thing for all folks to get onboard with as it’ll deliver a more interesting, creative, sustainable and productive beer industry.”

Even though there are things that need to improve in beer, what is clear is that the community is a welcoming and supportive one, filled with people who want to genuinely want to make the industry better for the long term.

Sam Wyman is a member of the Cap and Collar team in Shipley, Coven W.O.P Ambassador, and brews as Changes Brewing Project. They got in touch to let me know how pleased they were that Cap and Collar would be stocking the beer and went on to explain that "It took a long time for me to reconcile that I delayed transition out of safety. That it is a unique sort of privilege to be able to not be who you are. That not everyone is provided that choice, to compress it down and lock it away until they were equipped to face being a woman under patriarchy. It fills me with such heartbreak and furore recognising that an act of self-destruction is still a privilege in this world.”

Sam continued “We find communities, collectives, and enclaves. We form covens where we can be who we are, as we are; safe and free. Places like these, like Elusive, like the found-family in Cap and Collar that offered me (actual me) that opportunity. But community isn't industry. Not yet. But that is part of what makes Brave Noise so vital. Each brew, each bar and bottle shop offering it on tap, is a community. And Brave Noise is that connection that brings those communities together, and invites the marginalised communities within to an entire network. In unity, in equity, in solidarity. Together, we're more than industry. We're an industry revolution. For us all, and for everywhere."

If you’d like to join us for a beer or two to celebrate the launch of our Brave Noise, ask any questions or find out more, we’d love you to join us at A Hoppy Place Maidenhead this Saturday 4th February 2023 from 1-4pm. The beer will be pouring and the team from Elusive and The Coven will be on hand to answer any questions. We’ll be having a Q&A session at 2pm or please feel free to speak to us privately if you’d prefer. A Hoppy Place will be donating 30% of their profits from the event to The Coven so you can make a real difference by coming along and enjoying a tasty beer!

If you can’t make it to Maidenhead, the beer will also be available at these fantastic venues on from Saturday 4th February 2023:

Against The Grain - Edinburgh
Wee Beer Shop - Glasgow
Cap and Collar - Shipley
Little Leeds Beer House - Leeds
Beer Central - Sheffield
Hop Hideout - Sheffield
The Bailey Head - Oswestry
The Dodo - Hanwell
The Hop and Vine - Ruislip
Brewery Market - Twickenham
The Green Goddess - London
Hop Burns and Black - London
Craft Metropolis - London
The Rusty Bucket - Eltham
The Pelt Trader - London
Caps and Taps - London
A Hoppy Place - Windsor
The Alehouse - Reading
The Greyfriar - Reading
The Castle Tap - Reading
The Grumpy Goat - Reading
The Fox and Hounds - Caversham
The Hive - Crowthorne
Inn at Home - Newbury
The Tuppenny - Swindon
The Blue Bell Inn - Cocking
Belgium and Blues - Southampton
The Bookshop Ale House - Southampton
Olaf’s Tun - Woolston
The West Street Ale House - Fareham
Beer No Evil - Worthing
Corks of North Street - Bristol
Pops N Hops - Cardiff

Many of the above venues are women or minority owned or run and all of them want to help make positive change in beer. Please go and support them if you can!

Ruth Mitchell, Managing Director.

Making a Brave Noise