Taproom Closures Can Be Opportunity for Growth

Like every other holiday right now, this Mother’s Day will be an unprecedented one. Families won’t be able to take the moms in their lives out for a beer on Sunday after church, but Stasia Brewczynski sees this down time as an opportunity for breweries.

Currently furloughed from her position as Pike Brewing Company’s Director of Communications, Brewczynski set up an online art store in the interim of her work inspired by women in beer.

“My experience working in the beer industry inspires a lot of my artwork—I’m inspired greatly by people I know personally, or know about, in real life,” Brewczynski said. “Likewise, I want to create images of folks I wish I saw more in the industry. While my work rarely depicts specific individuals, a major goal is to help people feel seen, and also to create more space for marginalized people in the beer industry.”

Brewczynski said that breweries could take this opportunity where taprooms are closed to make the setting more family friendly by adding changing tables to every restroom. 

“Parents of all genders need safe and clean spaces to change their kids,” she said.

She also advises that breweries form a Diversity and Inclusion Committee so that inclusion conversations can be ongoing rather than sporadic. Two of Pike’s five owners are moms themselves.

“Being family-friendly is a proven way to increase the opportunity for diversity in your taproom,” she said, “We know women are statistically more likely than men to be primary caregivers. We also know women are more likely to become mothers than they were a decade ago and that parents of all genders are spending more time and leisure time with their kids. It’s simple math—being family-friendly means being woman-friendly.”

Brewczynski listed a few ways to help marginalized individuals enter and remain in the beer industry.

“Cis men should fund, hire, promote, champion, work for, listen to, mentor, and seek mentorship from folks of marginalized genders,” Brewczynski said. “These actions have the dual benefits of making the beer industry more equitable and giving the individuals who perform the actions a leg-up.”