Eatdrink #82 March/April 2020

eatdrink: The Local Food & Drink Magazine
Katie Anderson-Gautreau with her husband Ayden and
their two children outside their brewery.
their knowledge and what they create.”
She’s noted little divide between the kinds
of beers women order versus men.
“For the most part both men and
women like to try new flavours and styles
to determine what they like,” Anderson-
Gautreau said. “Many times those who are
new to craft beer, men or women, tend to lean
towards the lighter beers because that may be
what they are used to. Once they try the beers
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they are surprised by how much they enjoy
the more bitter beers or the flavours of a dark
beer like our milk stout.”
Craft brewery taprooms have nothing in
common with the smoky hotel barrooms
of the 1960s and are little like the musicthumping,
meat market discos of the 1970s
and 1980s. Many taprooms are set up like
living rooms or have long, group tables meant
to be shared with other patrons to encourage
conversation with each other and the staff,
including owners and brewmasters.
“Women just want a place they feel welcome
and can hang out with their friends, partners,
or kids. I always feel so much better when
I go to a brewery and feel like my kids are
welcome too. It means I can spend my time
enjoying and appreciating my beer rather than
worrying about the kids.”
“I think in general, everybody likes a
judgment-free zone when they go to a craft
brewery, whether they are new to craft beer or
a craft beer enthusiast.”
GEORGE MACKE is a Southwestern Ontario craft beer
explorer who spends too much time at the LCBO and craft
breweries.