DINING
Andrea Potter and Stacia Sharp at Lively Beerworks
Women Who Love Beer Raising a glass with the Women’s Craft Beer Society BY GREG HORTON PHOTOS BY LE XI HOEBING
Would you like a fruity beer?” “Are you sure you want a stout?” “I’m not sure you know what a porter is.” “We only have beers on tap, no cider.” In places where human behavior is studied with a critical eye, these are called microaggressions. To the women who are part of the Women’s Craft Beer Society, these comments and questions from bartenders and barstool neighbors range from laughable to minor annoyances, but they’ve all heard their share, including founder Stacia Sharp, who was asked the fruity
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beer question. Sharp, a nurse, formed the WCBS in 2020 to bring women who love beer together for what she calls “camaraderie, education, and love of craft beer.” “I love beer,” Sharp said. It’s a simple statement, but too many men, including bartenders, are surprised by the declaration. “A lot of women love beer, but breweries have always been considered men’s territory—even though the first brewers, historically, were women.” Sharp reached out to Andrea Potter, a paraprofessional in Mustang Public Schools, to help put the group together. The women had met online in beer-related contexts. “I’ve always been a beer drinker,” Potter, also a homebrewer, said. “For craft beer, though, Anthem was my gateway brewery, and Arjuna was the gateway beer.” Potter was happy to be involved. Like Sharp, she wanted to get more women involved with beer, both drinking it and visiting taprooms where it’s poured. The first meeting in September 2020 at Angry Scotsman attracted more than 50 women. “Some were brewers, yes,” Sharp said, “but most were just women who love beer. Men
attended, too, whether out of curiosity or because they were there with one of the women. They’re always welcome, because we can’t be inclusive if we exclude men.” At a recent event at Lively Beerworks, operating partner Alena Chesney—baby strapped to her—addressed the group, a non-profit was collecting feminine hygiene products near the front, and beer flowed liberally from the taps. Also, a man in a “Horny Redneck” tee shirt was at the bar getting a beer … an amazing example of not reading a room. “Those guys are mostly our friends now,” Potter said, laughing. “Many of them are encouraging us and supporting our goals. They’re excited that we love beer, too.” Rachel Silver was wearing a “Drinkerbell” tee shirt at the Lively event. She’s an accounting-HR professional who was introduced to local beer in 2017 by the late Tom Challis, one of the best ambassadors for local beer Oklahoma City has had. “I don’t really encounter the misogyny in breweries that I used to find in restaurant
