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| Sarah Eshelman of Beer Necessities |
I had lunch with Sarah last week to talk about the group and propose some linked events with Austin Bed & Brew and Austin HomeBrew Supply. She rode her bike to my place to see the Bn'B, then we raced to my favorite local craft beer spot Black Star Co-op ...I drove. It was a tie. She's that fast.
I went to the second meeting after stumbling upon a notice in my Facebook feed. The invitation was to meet at Craft Pride for a "women in the industry forum." I had never heard of a "Meetup" or visited the popular Rainey Street area and had no idea what to expect. I was early and got to watch people slowly file in, get a beer and recognize other lone-women. We had about an hour to visit, then the 4 person panel began with introductions and a Q & A. It was very informative and fun!
I knew no one but found it quite easy to talk with other women about the fabulous beer selection, brewing process and our interest in meeting other women who find beer our beverage of choice. The group is large but has a core group of about 25 that show up to the events. Sarah keeps the events varied and the locations moving. It turns out that the first meeting was at her favorite spot, Hopfields just a few weeks before. Events run the gamut of activities from informative gatherings at breweries or pubs to activities like March 7th's Twisted X run benefiting Thundering Paws Animal Sanctuary in Dripping Springs; this past Monday night's gathering at Which Craft for a pairing of Boozy's Cupcakes with craft beer and the upcoming home brewing demonstration at AHS.
I asked Sarah how this all came about and it turns out that she was visiting a friend in Chicago, who is part of the 'mother' Beer Necessities group started there by Rachelle Matz. When Sarah got back to Austin she decided that we needed a group like this here. She checked in with our local Bitch Beer guru, Caroline Wallace to make sure something similar didn't already exist...and so it began.
Recognizing the need for a group like this is only part of its success, most of it is due to Sarah's efforts, stellar personality, and the fact that she's really very knowledgeable and sincere about her love of the elixir known as beer. Sarah attributes her interest in beer to her father, Robert. She describes him as a "North Carolina Hop-head." His work took him to Belgium several times a year and with each visit he became more excited about rare beers and shared his stories with his eldest. They're a beer drinking team and he comes to Austin to hang out with she and her friends reveling in the array of delectable beers we have here to savor. He's fond of saying "I got my daughter into beer, but she's surpassed me." With the whirlpool of activities she organizes, I'd most probably have to agree with him.
So, just who is Sarah Eshelman? A dynamic RTVF, UT grad working as a producer, editor and consultant for various organizations and her own Sarahedits.com She's a strong, uber healthy beer fan, thinker and a true feminist who sees the changing landscape of women in a positive light and recognizes that the majority of our group have self-opted out of the traditional female role-motherhood. The older ladies in the group, myself included, mostly have grown children but the younger to middle range have opted out.
Sarah loves 512 Brewing Co. and when I asked her about her favorite "backup beer" she went on a roll: Founder's Dirty Bastard, Rahr's Iron Thistle, coffee beers, Scotch Ales etc. etc. Since we were at Black Star I asked about her favorite house beer and she said "any of the Dockhand series." She basically loves variety and adventure and sharing her love of beer with other women!
I always look forward to the Meetup, even though they occur more than I can attend...usually twice monthly. If you have ideas or interest in Beer Necessities, follow the link and get involved! Sarah has home brewed in the past and plans to get back to it soon...she's a gem!
Cheers!
~Cheryl
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