Women-owned breweries making an impact on Charlotte beer scene

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Charlotte is hopped up on beer, and a women-owned and operated brewery has tapped into the Queen City market.

Beverage lovers have no problem finding a place to grab a pint, with dozens of local breweries spread across the city. Things weren’t always that way.

For 12 years, Birdsong Brewing Company has been canning and creating craft beer for the greater Charlotte area. The process is now like a well-oiled machine, but it all started in 2011 when craft beer in the Queen City was nearly nonexistent.

“Charlotte really didn’t have much going on. I think OMB (Olde Mecklenburg Brewery) was the first craft brewery to open,” co-owner Tara Goulet said.

Goulet said Birdsong Brewing was born at Johnson and Wales University. She was focusing on her craft of baking when she saw the need for craft brews. Goulet was one of the few females in a male-dominated industry. She says the brewing process could always use more like-minded people.

“Diversity, whether it be race, gender or cultural backgrounds, you just bring more perspectives. Maybe a little bit more creativity when it comes to ideas for new beers,” said Goulet.

Of course, the brewer makes the beer go from thoughts to taps.

“We make beer, and we make people happy,” Brewer Andrea Frohlich said.

Before people can sip down a pint, a recipe must be created and perfected. Among the most popular creations at Birdsong was a movie-themed concoction.

“I created this recipe where I had to pop a lot of popcorn, and I was in the kitchen for 6 to 7 hours popping all the popcorn, but it worked out pretty well,” said Goulet.

Popcorn beer is just one of the canned favorites created by the women, but you’ll never know who came up with what brew. Brewmasters say that’s the way it should be.

“We should stop looking to women brewers as ‘oh my god.’ We need to normalize this a little more and show everyone that females can also make beer,” Frohlich said.

Goulet says the brewery started with her husband’s help and some friends who invested in the idea.

Rachael Hudson (Pilot Brewing) is also a co-owner of a Charlotte brewery.

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