#MeTooBrew: How women in craft beer are crossing borders and smashing stereotypes

Beyond Gender Borders

Baja Craft Beers, Tinta Negra, Surf Brewing — on a recent drive along the free road between Tijuana and Los Gaviotas, I saw as many tasting rooms as fish taco stands. Like their San Diego counterparts, Baja California brewers are re-imagining traditional beer styles, venturing far beyond the weak lagers made by Big Beer in the U.S. and Mexico.

This creative ferment is fueled by another binational phenomenon: the rise of female brewers.

On Saturday, about 25 women — roughly two-thirds Mexicans and one-third North Americans — will meet at Tijuana’s Cerveceria Rámuri. The wheat ale they make will be tapped at the Ensenada Beer Festival, March 15-17.

This is the latest in a growing number of cross-border collaborations. Recently, San Diego’s SouthNorte and Mexicali’s Cerveza Fauna joined forces to make a weizenbock, Big Jefe.

The San Diegans found that, despite the cliche of Mexican machismo, Mexican craft beer is becoming an equal opportunity employer. Melody Crisp, vice president of marketing at SouthNorte, recalled her tour of a Tijuana technical school’s brewing program.

“There must have been 20 women in the class,” she said. “It blew me away!”

Perhaps more importantly, Saturday’s participants include women from some of Baja’s best breweries: Rámuri, Fauna, Insurgente, Amante, Lúdica, Tres Fuegos and others. The San Diego contingent includes representatives of Stone, SouthNorte and Second Chance, plus the Brewers Guild’s past president, Jill Davidson of Pizza Port.

Beer being universal, it may not be surprising that brewers from Mexico and the U.S. will make a German-style beer.

“A common beer route!” Crisp said.

Think global, drink local and thank brewers of every gender and nationality.

Kings of Beer

The question raised by Second Chance’s Tabula Rasa Toasted Porter (6.2 percent alcohol by volume) is not is this beer any good? The can, bearing images of the gold medals it won at the 2016 and ’17 Great American Beer Festivals, hints that the answer is an emphatic yes.

This ale poses a trickier question: why do nitro beers exist?

While nitro beers are cherished for their creamy mouthfeel, Tabula Rasa creates the same effect without the artificial boost provided by nitrogen widgets. This is partly due to brewer Marty Mendiola’s sure-handed use of toasted oats; partly from a touch of lactose; partly from sheer magic.

This week’s King, Tabula Rasa is as dark and complex as last week’s King, Deschutes’ Pacific Wonderland (5.5 percent alcohol by volume), was light and straight-forward.

Best of the Week, Local

As a romantic, I love me some anniversaries — especially brewery anniversaries like the five set for this weekend. The lineup, from oldest to youngest:

29th: Karl Strauss’ Changing of the Barrels party is 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday at the production brewery’s tasting room, 5985 Santa Fe St., San Diego. The sold-out event will feature food, drink, bottles of the 29th anniversary ale — a pinot noir barrel-aged saison — and sips of the 30th anniversary brew before its 12-month hibernation in barrels.

5th: Rip Current doubles your party pleasure Saturday at its brewery, 1325 Grand Ave., Suite 100, San Marcos, and North Park tasting room, 4101 30th St., San Diego. Festivities begin at noon and run until 9 p.m. (in San Marcos) and midnight (North Park). Tickets — $24 for four 8-ounce pours and a souvenir glass — are sold at ripcurrentbrewing.com/news/.

2nd: Pure Project’s sold-out bash,1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, features a low price — $10 covers admission, a special glass and raffle tix. Beer’s not included, but you can buy rare offerings from the Project’s ace brewing team. Food trucks will on site, 9030 Kenamar Dr., Suite 308, San Diego.

1st: Tickets for the party at Jacked Up Brewery, 800 W. Grand Ave. in Escondido, are $20 at jackedupbrewery.brownpapertickets.com, or $25 at the door. Celebrate Saturday from noon to 5 p.m.; admission comes with five tasters and an anniversary pint glass.

1st: Kilowatt Brewing’s Ocean Beach tasting room is marking its inaugural year Sunday with two doughnut-and-beer sessions. Both the noon and the 1 p.m. events will feature four Kilowatt beers matched with four Nomad Donuts. Tickets are $18 and can be scored at kilowatt.beer/brewery-events.

Did you know…

Carmel Mountain’s Second Chance Beer is co-owner/brewer Marty Mendiola’s second local venture, after his tenure at La Jolla’s Rock Bottom. The English brown he made for Rock Bottom, Longboard, was wonderful. Tabula Rasa is better.

Twitter: @peterroweut

peter.rowe@sduniontribune.com