The third bi-annual Women in Beer Festival is set to take place in Edinburgh from 23-27 October 2024, celebrating women in the brewing industry and beer enthusiasts alike.
The event will feature a variety of activities across the city’s pubs and bars, including Meet the Brewer sessions, beer launches, and a self-guided pub crawl.
The festival kicks off with a launch party at Cold Town House, showcasing brewers from Canterbury and Edinburgh. Attendees can enjoy the first festival beer, Hawaiian Topic, a coconut porter brewed by head brewer Halyey Ransome.
Throughout the week, visitors can attend Meet the Brewer events, featuring women brewers from across the UK, including Cornwall, Isle of Man, Pembrokeshire, and Melton Mowbray.
A highlight of the festival is the Big Meet Up on 26 October at the Stockbridge Tap, where attendees can sample three special festival beers:
- Cult of Arduinna: A mixed fermentation sour from Dundee’s Holy Goat Brewing
- No Quarter: A non-alcoholic pacific pale from Scotland’s only alcohol-free brewery, Jump Ship
- Rising Waves: A West Coast DIPA from Round Corner Brewing
The event concludes on 27 October with a Craft & Craft afternoon at False Widow, combining beer tasting with crafting activities led by local group Stitches & B-hes Edinburgh.
Participating venues across Edinburgh will showcase beers brewed by women or from women-led breweries. Notable locations include:
- Lost in Leith: Featuring a Women in Beer tap takeover with beers from Closet Brewing, Double-Barrelled Brewery, Duration, and Neptune
- Cloisters: Pouring ales from Loch Lomond, Newbarns, and Stewart Brewing
- Brewhemia: Serving the world’s only unpasteurised and unfiltered tank lager from Stewart Brewing
Looking ahead to the opening of the festival, Louise MacLean, Business Development Director at Cold Town said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Women in Beer, an organisation dedicated to highlighting the incredible contributions women are making in the beer industry.
“It’s an honour to showcase the talent, passion, and innovation of these women. We’re especially proud to be hosting the launch party, where we can celebrate their achievements and raise a glass to the future of the industry.”
The festival also includes an industry event on 25 October, featuring sensory training hosted by Lallemand Brewing and an industry seminar by Crisp Malt.
This event will include talks and panel discussions from women in the beer industry. The Women in Beer Festival is supported by various sponsors, including Cold Town, Crisp Malt, Keg Star, Bairds Malt, and Simpsons Malt.
Reflecting on this year’s festival programme, Amélie Tassin, Founder of Women in Beer said: “Visibility is so important and I believe that the more we shout out about women in the Industry, the more we’ll help redress the gender balance.
“We want to create role models for women who wouldn’t have thought beer was for them. We do this by bringing our talented guests to our events and seminars and giving women the opportunity to connect. And this year’s addition of Chaser Venues will help us share the word even louder.”
Most events are free to attend and open to all genders, with tickets for the industry event starting at £35.
Full Women in Beer programme information, tickets to industry events, and a specially curated festival map is available via https://linktr.ee/wibfest.
