When Sandra Day O’Connor asks you to brew her an IPA, you brew the woman an IPA.
“That was our first, holy sh*t moment,” says Betsy Lay, co-founder of Lady Justice Brewing in Aurora, Colorado. “We got an email in 2015 from the son of the first woman Supreme Court Justice, Sandra Day O'Connor. He reached out to let us know that Justice O'Connor had heard about us (before we even opened!) and asked if we could brew her an IPA.”
Hell, yes, they could. A well-suited request for the female-owned, justice-themed establishment. The Sandra Day IPA now sells out of their taproom and to states all over the country via their beer shipping page.
Lady Justice forms part of a minority of breweries that are female-owned. According to new statistics released by the Brewers Association at the Craft Brewers Conference in September of 2021, female-owned breweries make up 23.7% of all craft breweries. That’s not even a quarter of breweries in a country where women make up over half of the population.
March 8th is International Women’s Day, and we wanted to take a minute to recognize some of the badass brewers and brewery owners in our Root Shoot community who also just happen to be female. And since we started with Lady Justice, let’s continue with Lady Justice. Please meet…
Photo courtesy of Lady Justice Brewing
Betsy Lay, Lady Justice Brewing
Role: Head Brewer, Co-Founder
Lady Justice is not your typical brewery.
When they say “community-focused” they don’t mean just taproom events and a welcoming atmosphere, though they have those in spades.
They mean that they’ve donated over $20,000 to community causes and that giving is a core part of their business plan. 100% of the profits from their Community-Supported Beer (CSB) program go directly to their partner non-profits.
That’s not a shabby outcome for a brewery that Betsy describes as originating as “a tipsy idea with my two best friends.” Betsy and her best-friends-turned-business-partners, Kate Power and Jen Cuesta, began Lady Justice in 2014. Betsy took the reins as head brewer from 2016-2019, and again took on the role in January of 2021. We sat down with her (okay, no, we didn’t, we communicated virtually with her, but same-same) to pick her brain about being a Lady Brewer at Lady Justice.
ROOT SHOOT: (Settling in and trying not to be socially awkward at interviewing.) Tell us, Betsy, what’s your brewery superpower? What do you, personally, absolutely rock at in the craft beer world?
BL: I have two specialties: 1) Bringing social enterprise, philanthropy, and beer together and 2) I brew the best dang ESB you will ever have.
ROOT SHOOT: (Frantically scribbling note-to-self. “Try the ESB. Step up community game to be as Badass as Betsy. Send complimentary note to Sandra on her IPA.”) And what do you love about your brewery? What are you proud of there?
BL: Our community and our neighborhood. We have the best staff and the best customers. Our crowd cares deeply for others and loves to give back to its community.
ROOT SHOOT: (Pumps fist and raises roof, even though roof-raising dates us terribly.) Hell, yeah! You go! Lady J! Lady J! Lady J! (Tries to settle down.) Do you have any words of wisdom for women new to the craft beer world?
BL: Take no shit and trust your gut.
ROOT SHOOT: Preach it, sister.
Trusting one’s gut sounds good in theory, but in the day-to-day of life, it can be absolutely terrifying. Starting a business is a leap of faith. Running a successful business is loads of work. Starting a business during a pandemic and then keeping it successfully running over the ensuring two years of insanity is…well, exactly what our next brewery owner did, following her own gut instincts. Meet…
Photo courtesy of Wah Gwaan Brewing Co
Harsha Maragh, Wah Gwaan Brewing Company
Role: Co-Owner, Co-Founder
Wah Gwaan Brewing Company in Denver is a happy place. Caribbean-themed, (Wah Gwaan means What’s up? in Jamaican Patois) the beers have hints of ingredients that feel scandalously exotic like hibiscus, jackfruit, and pomegranate. The entire building is decked out with Jamaican and Caribbean-themed art, the company is excellent, and the crowd is diverse.
“I am proud of how we have created a space that feels comfortable, inclusive, and welcoming to anyone that walks through our doors. It's beautiful to see the diversity we have in our taproom on any given day,” says Harsha Maragh, co-owner and co-founder along with her business and life partner, Jesse Brown.
A first-generation Jamaican-American, Harsha grew up in New York City, as the daughter of Jamaican immigrants. Upon moving to the Front Range, she found it hard to connect with other Jamaicans. She wanted a space where Caribbean immigrants and other first-generation Caribbean-Americans could get a taste of home. So, naturally…she opened a brewery.
Now, that’s dedication.
We’re not Jamaican or Caribbean, but we’re abso-freaking-lutely delighted to work with a brewery with a different vibe. You may have noticed that the Colorado beer scene has a lot of beards and flannel. We fully support flannel. (I mean, have you seen our own Todd Olander, lately?) but Wah Gwaan’s spirit and spice are a welcome breath of fresh, Caribbean air. Speaking of fresh air, you’d never guess Harsh’s background.
ROOT SHOOT: Tell us a little about your time and experience in the craft brewing world. What got you where you are today?
HM: I co-founded Wah Gwaan with Jesse, back in 2020. Prior to officially starting the brewery, we were homebrewers and avid beer lovers and learners for years. Like many others in Colorado, one of our favorite hobbies was to explore different breweries and sample any and all styles.
My background is in meteorology and sustainability planning and management. Although it doesn't seem like those fields relate to brewing, I am constantly using skills that I have developed in previous roles as a brewery owner.
ROOT SHOOT: (Silently high-fiving ourselves for working in a breath of fresh air pun. Accidentally.) What’s one memorable brewing or brewery moment that comes to mind?
HM: Our opening weekend (June 19-20, 2021) will forever be one of my favorite memories. After countless days of planning, many late nights, and lots of hard work, it was indescribable to see Wah Gwaan come together and customers enjoying beer that we made. The support, love, and kind words that we received that weekend still make me emotional to this day.
ROOT SHOOT: (Dabbing eyes, and updating note-to-self. “Be as Badass as Betsy and as Heartfelt as Harsha.”) Do you have any words of wisdom for women new to the craft beer world?
HM: Be bold! Don't be afraid to be you and put yourself out there. You never know what you are truly capable of until you put your all into something.
ROOT SHOOT: Preach it, sister.
And so, we figured, it would be perfect to wrap up with a real-life example of what putting your all into something look like. Bring on…
Photo courtesy of Stodgy Brewing Company
Natalie Yoder, Stodgy Brewing Company
Role: Co-Owner, Co-Founder
Natalie does it all.
Well, almost all. We’ll get to what she doesn’t do in a minute. But first…
Run farms? Natalie does it. Teach horticulture classes? Natalie does it. Operate heavy machinery? Also Natalie. Analyze supply chains to identify weak links and fix them before they’re an issue? Natalie. Run a hopping brewery in a spectacular location in Northwest Ft. Collins? Natalie-freaking-Yoder.
Like Wah Gwaan, Stodgy Brewing made the stunningly bold decision to open during the first wave of the 2020 pandemic. Like Wah Gwaan, they’ve also beat the odds. Judging by the patio crowds and constant stream of customers through the taproom, they’ve managed to thrive despite all the COVID-inducted chaos of the last two years.
Part of the charm of Stodgy is due to their space. Previously a commercial building that sold fireplaces, Stody’s taproom has a log-cabin feel to it. One of our favorite Google reviews refers to it as “An incredible new brewery in Fort Collins, that has you feeling like you're a part of Davy Crockett’s world!”
Accurate. And the log-cabin charm is bolstered by a beautifully planted outdoor patio space. It’s like no other patio we’ve ever seen. There’s Natalie’s advanced horticulture degree to thank for that. Previous to opening Stodgy with her partner, Tyler Olpin, Natalie worked for CSU in their specialty crops division. One of her primary focuses? Hops and hop farms.
ROOT SHOOT: (Giggles self-consciously) A farming background and a soft spot for the beer industry? We might have a crush.) How long have you been into brewing? What got you where you are today?
NY: Before [CSU] I was a homebrewer, I brewed my first batch of beer in 2009, Unicorn Sparkle Butt. It was terrible. I kept brewing for a few years, created a few drinkable items, but moved away from homebrewing when I met Tyler, a homebrewer with a better knack for making tasty things. I'm a big picture person. Meeting someone with a mind focused on details like Tyler was key to our success as a brewery. Big picture and small details make for a great whole picture. We couldn't have made it this far without the work ethics I learned from agriculture (or the power tool skills) and we wouldn't be the same without my tie to the land. I know where our beer comes from and how it came to be. I know farming, I know soil, I know hops processing. I build things and I fix things, that's my superpower.
ROOT SHOOT: Unicorn Sparkle Butt?? This must come back. This has to come back. Please tell us that Stodgy will do a Unicorn Sparkle Butt Beer. (Breathes deep and focuses) What do you love about your brewery? What are you most proud of there?
NY: I’m proud that we serve beer that is 100% local malts and that our beer is excellent. Supporting your local agriculture economy does NOT mean you have to sacrifice quality and I think we're doing a great job of demonstrating that. I'm also proud that most of our beers are 100% local hops too. We chose to support regional ingredients as a principle when we first opened and we're sticking to it.
ROOT SHOOT: PREACH IT, SISTER! Ahem…we mean, good work! Do you have any words of wisdom for women new to the craft beer world?
NY: People get excited about the [female] brewers that start a brewery, but if you're the backbone of the business and a woman - I see you. Your work is really hard and not as glorified and you still think about your business at all hours of the day. Female brewers are awesome and exciting and I also want them to thrive and grow, but there are women in all parts of this business and I want to make sure they're all seen and heard. I was self-conscious about not being a brewer and owning a brewery. Was I advancing women if I wasn't a brewer? It was something I had to get over because big things can't be done alone.
Big things can’t be done alone.
Not in brewing, not in malting.
Not in farming, not in business.
Not in life.
Small business ownership is hard. it’s even harder as a minority. On this International Women’s Day, we hope you’ll take a minute, seek out a female-owned brewery and buy yourself a beer. Or buy them a beer. Buy everybody a beer and let’s work together to move this industry, and the women in it, ahead.
Be bold. Don’t go it alone.
And whatever you do, take no shit and trust your gut.
You’ve got this ladies. We’re so proud to work with you.
Cheers,
— Your Admiring Root Shoot Team
