The Changing Face of Brooklyn Breweries
Brooklyn, NY is a known hub for tech and innovation start-ups. But what is less well-known is its recent rise as an incubator for innovative breweries and distilleries. And while only 3% of breweries in the US are fully-owned by women, this traditionally male-dominated industry is now becoming more inclusive.
Here are 3 examples of women-led breweries that are changing the face of alcohol and distilleries in unique and creative ways.
Our Wow network gives you access to a treasure trove of innovative brands such as these: learn from these women brewer-entrepreneurs through an in-person or virtual workshop or seminar, or turn it into a Business Innovation Travel program for your team and include accommodation, food tours, in-person workshops and seminars.
Talea Beer Co
Created by two twin sisters, Ode to Babel is a great example of community-led innovative thinking. Beginning as a bar and lounge, the pandemic forced them to rethink their model, inspiring them to launch a successful range of “To Go” cocktails in flasks made with fresh ingredients, complete with garnish and hand-delivered. They then began making their own in-house gin, using locally grown botanicals for a citrusy taste with strong botanical flavours. Ode to Babel now sells in 25 New York stores and 8 bars and restaurants and offers its community of fans merchandise ranging from sweatshirts to t-shirts – and of course bottles of its namesake gin.
Hana Makgeolli
An artisanal Korean wine producer based in Brooklyn founded by Alice Jun, Hana Makgeolli is on a mission to bring Korea’s oldest alcoholic beverage to the mainstream. A cloudy drink made from rice, water and a yeast-rich starter, makgeolli is an effervescent brew with over 2,000 years of history. The brewery offers a modern take on this traditional drink, using only organic rice and traditional brewing methodologies, and combines a brewery, tapery and in-house restaurant in Greenpoint, Brooklyn with an online store delivering products across the US.
