Yakima Chief Hops is thrilled to release its 2nd Annual Pink Boots Blend, alongside the Pink Boots Society, an international nonprofit organization supporting women in the brewing profession. Available for a limited time to commercial brewers, this seasonal proprietary hop blend celebrates women in the beer and brewing industries, and a portion of the proceeds benefit the Pink Boots Society scholarship funds.
Each year, Yakima Chief Hops staff and Pink Boots Society members gather around a table filled with a wide variety of hop samples during the Great American Beer Festival in Denver. The team carefully rubs, smells and experiences each hop sample, and decides on the recipe for the blend to be released the following year. The Pink Boots Blend is then released to registered brewers prior to International Women’s Day on March 8th, and brewers are encouraged to create their own celebratory brews.
Sales proceeds from the 2018 Pink Boots Blend contributed approximately $40,000 for the Pink Boots Society scholarship fund, helping to offer educational opportunities to women in the beer and brewing industries. Educational opportunities include technical and non-technical seminars, courses and tours that empower women to advance their careers in beer and brewing professions. Scholarship opportunities are open to women anywhere in the world who are actively employed in the beer industry.
The upcoming Pink Boots Blend consists of a well-rounded mix of Pacific Northwestern hop varieties, including Loral®, Mosaic®, Simcoe®, Sabro™ and Glacier. The combination creates a high aroma hop blend that contributes citrus, earthy and fruity aroma and flavor characteristics to beers. The blend is produced and sold by Yakima Chief Hops as traditional T90 hop pellets with limited availability, and $3 per pound sold will be donated to the Pink Boots Society scholarship fund.
Yakima Chief Hops is proud to partner with the Pink Boots Society for a second year on this special seasonal hop blend. We are passionate about promoting diversity in both the hop and beer industries, and hope that our brewing customers will take this opportunity to do the same. We encourage you to get creative and create a tasty brew in celebration of International Women’s Day, and hope this will be a brewing industry tradition for years to come.