In 2022, we brewed a beer called ‘We Are Here’ in collaboration with The Pink Boots Society for International Women’s Day. Pink Boots mission is to ‘assist, inspire, & encourage women and non-binary individuals in the fermented/alcoholic beverage industry through education.’ While part of the proceeds of the ‘We Are Here’ beer went to Pink Boots, we also came up with an initiative following their ethos that directly benefited women in the North East.
We partnered with BrewLab, the UK’s leading provider of brewing training and analysis services, to create three Women in Beer Scholarships.
- 2 x 4-Day Intensive Practical Brewing Skills Courses, valued at £1,250 each
- 1 x 3-Week Certificate in Practical Brewing Course, valued at £3,330
The scholarship asked candidates three questions:
- What inspired them to apply,
- What they would most be looking forward to on the course, and
- Where they wanted to see themselves in three years.
There was great interest in the scholarship which resulted in over a dozen applications. The quality of the applicants made selecting our three recipients extremely difficult.
We recently caught up with all three of our successful recipients to see how they’ve got on with their courses.
Hollie Carr, Bar Manager at The Tyne Bar, completed the 4-day intensive course and had nothing but praise for her experience.
“It was extremely informative and in-depth, and covered not just brewing but everything that goes with it, down to the intricate equipment you’d need to start your own brewery,” Hollie said when asked about the quality of the content. “The course tutor Brian had a wealth of knowledge, [and] I couldn’t fault Brewlab for their hospitality on the course and for their aftercare with my beer.”
When asked about what the future held, Hollie was quite excited to bring the knowledge back to The Tyne Bar.
“I’ll be using the recipe formulation the most to create new beers in the future and have been laying the foundations to do collabs with a few local breweries to sell in the Tyne bar.”
Back in November, a collaboration with Timothy Taylor’s Brewery took place, so keep your eyes peeled for more to come in the future!
Amber Postlethwaite, who worked in hospitality for a number of years, was looking for a career change, and recently completed the 3-week certificate. Similar to Hollie, Amber heaped praise for Brewlab.
“My time at Brewlab was such a worthwhile experience both in and out of the classroom. Fast pace and intense, the course really gives you everything to start out in the brewing industry. The classroom is such a wonderful hands-on experience that lets you gain practice and theory knowledge and gives you confidence to brew and develops your self-confidence.”
Amber opened up on how her self-confidence plays a vital role, and how the BrewLab instructors created a positive and supportive environment that helped her grow more confident each day.
“As someone who struggles heavily with academics it was so nice to find staff that are friendly and able to adapt the course to support my needs as someone with ADHA, Dyslexia and Dyscalculia. The support from peers was fantastic as well—everyone on the course really supported each other making the experience overall along.”
Amber was also so happy with the brewery experience days, allowing her to build her professional network within the industry, and can’t wait for her future within brewing.
“Brewlab also offers the opportunity to develop social networks within the industry and make friends. I cannot recommend Brewlabs enough to anyone thinking of learning about brewing. 100% would do it all again and I can't wait to pursue a career in brewing with confidence.”
Speaking of her future in brewing, a massive congratulations as Amber has recently landed an apprenticeship with North East Brewery Rigg and Furrow.
“I start in April and honestly can't wait! It has all been down to the support of everyone at Full Circle and without you guys I'd never have had the confidence to pursue brewing.”
Our other 4-day course recipient Rosie Box, who is currently studying at university, is scheduled to complete her course in July.
“I am looking forward to learning something new and get out of my comfort zone with the Brewlab course. It will be an interesting experience into how to make beer.”
For more information on BrewLab and the courses they offer, please visit their website at https://brewlab.co.uk/
At Full Circle Brew Co, we strive to be part of the community through initiatives like the Women in Beer scholarship. If you have a group, club, or initiative that you think would be a good fit with the brewery please get in contact at graeme@fullcirclebrewing.co.uk