{ YOUR FRIENDS & NEIGHBORS }
Beer Pioneer
How did Gretchen Schmidhausler become the state’s first female professional craft brewer? Dogged determination.
In 2014, with 20 years’ experience in the beer industry, Gretchen Schmidhausler set about opening her own brewery in Neptune City. The enterprise needed a name, of course, and her rescue dog, Quincy, seemed its perfect mascot. A Basenji—an ancient breed of hunting dog more akin to hyenas, wolves and dingoes than to some domestic canines—Quincy was independent, tenacious and very challenging to own (much like a brewery, Schmidhausler says). He was also the first small pup she and her husband had adopted. That’s how Little Dog Brewing Co. was christened, but there’s more. “I’m really the ‘little dog,’” the Lake Como resident and award-winning brewmaster confesses. “I possess many qualities the Basenji has.” Indeed, as the first female professional craft brewer in New Jersey, that focused determination has served Schmidhausler well. And although Little Dog may not compare in size with neighboring breweries such as Kane Brewing Company and Beach Haus Brewery, she doesn’t think of it as an underdog. Monmouth Health & Life recently hopped at the chance to ask some questions.
How did you become interested in brewing craft beer? I always, always loved beer. When my girlfriends and I would go out to the bars back in college, we always sought out the better, darker beers—but back then, in the early ’80s, there weren’t a lot of options. Years later, a friend gave me a home-brew kit for Christmas, and I really enjoyed the home brewing. I was eventually offered a job at a local home-brew shop at a now-defunct brewery, and the timing was right. Brewing spoke to me for a few reasons. Obviously, I enjoyed the product, I liked the PR aspect of meeting people and talking to them about the product, and I liked the physical work and the routine of producing beer and the manufacturing aspect as well. There’s a creativity that comes into play. The Brewers Association says that as of 2019, only 7.5 percent of head brewers in the U.S. were women. Have you faced challenges as a woman in a male-dominated industry? I understand that people have had issues and this industry has had issues, but personally I really haven’t; I don’t have any horror stories. I met a lot of people with like interests and even though
MONMOUTHHEALTHANDLIFE.COM
MON.0422.friends.indd 18
18
they were almost exclusively male, I found a lot of camaraderie and mentorship. Physically it wasn’t an issue—it’s hard work, but a lot of jobs are. Are women becoming more prevalent in the industry? Yes. I judge at the Great American Beer Festival and have for about 14 years, and once I started going out and getting involved in that type of event, I met a lot more women. Now I would say I have a good circle of female brewing friends. There are also organizations like the Pink Boots Society that are dedicated to women in the business. What advice would you have for a female who wants to get into the industry? It’s like any job—be responsible, be diligent and know your stuff. You shouldn’t take any BS from anybody, but keep your sense of humor and keep perspective. Craft brewing is a relatively new industry; it’s not like you’re trying to break into some of the trades that have historically always been male, so if you have the knowledge, you can easily compete. Tell me about Little Dog’s selection of beers. I make a range of beers to satisfy different tastes. You want to be able to give people something traditional if that’s what they’re comfortable with, but you also want to have some creative, drinkable seasonal beers. We tend to be a more traditional brewery with more classic styles—for the most part that means German- and English-style ales. I don’t do anything that’s very aggressively flavored or hopped. I like to think everything is balanced and enjoyable. How would you convince someone who doesn’t typically drink beer to come in and give yours a try? Many times when someone says they don’t like beer, they mean typical American light lagers, like a Bud or Miller. They’re surprised to find they like something that has a lot more body and color and flavor. It changes their expectations about what beer is. Or maybe someone says they came with a friend, but they’re really a wine drinker. Well, what kind of wine? There are some similar flavor profiles. Any tips for those interested in cracking into the industry? There are all sorts of careers within brewing—you don’t necessarily have to be the brewer; you could be the salesperson, the tasting-room manager, the brewery ambassador. But if you do want to brew, start out home-brewing. Learn more about the industry, either working at or visiting a local brewery. There are more and more brewing programs out there; consider a formal course. —Sarah Nolan
APRIL/MAY 2022
3/29/22 1:26 PM
