Appearances can be deceiving, however, and there’s a lot more in this beer than just barley. The recipe and label for Brave Noise were created by Brienne Allan, a brewer at Notch Brewing in Salem, Mass., and she’s sharing both with breweries around the world with the goal of bringing attention to sexism in the industry. As of mid-March, 246 breweries — including 55 in Canada, from Herald Street Brew Works in Victoria to Landwash Brewery in Mount Pearl, Nfld.
“A safe and discrimination-free industry is our big goal,” Allen says. “We feel this is a step in that direction for change to actually happen. It’s recognizing there’s an issue, developing plans and having open dialogue, which is ultimately what we want.” She adds that the open collaboration was inspired by “the brave voices who have shared their stories about sexism, sexual harassment, assault and discrimination while working in the beer industry.
Participating brewers agree to be transparent about their policies and values by publicly posting a code of conduct, committing to the long-term goal of fostering inclusivity, and supporting a non-profit that aligns with the mission of creating safe and inclusive environments. In short, Brave Noise is a recipe, a brand and, most importantly, a cause.
People’s Pint signed on because it was the right thing to do, says owner and master beer sommelier Doug Appeldoorn. The brewery is donating a portion of Brave Noise sales to Diversity in Brewing, a grassroots initiative that celebrates and supports diversity in the craft beer industry. “That is very much in sync with what we are trying to do with our brewery, and by supporting them, we feel we can help transform our industry one brewery at a time,” Appeldoorn says.