Emma Inch

Emma Inch is an award-winning beer writer based in Brighton. She has been writing about beer and brewing for 10 years, and is part of the current crop of highly-respected female brewing writers.

She talks to Dynamic Magazine about her passion for the hop… ere is a growing number of female beer writers in the UK, and many are producing wonderfully creative, challenging and interesting work. It’s good to see the world of beer writing slowly evolving. https://fermentationonline.com

Can you start by letting us know how you got into beer writing?

I’ve always loved beer and writing so it was only logical that I found a way to bring the two together. When the modern ‘craft’ beer scene was just beginning to explode, I saw an opening for what became the UK’s rst beer show, on Brighton’s Radio Reverb. It was very successful and everything else went from there!

You’ve won several beer writing awards. Tell us about them.

I’ve won a few awards in both the UK and the USA but what I’m most proud of is being named the 2018 British Beer Writer of the Year by the British Guild of Beer Writers. It was one of the proudest moments of my life.

Brewing and beer has, for a long time, been seen as a mostly male pastime. But that hasn’t historically always been the case, has it?

Exactly. Women were the original brewers and, since the very rst civilisations, brewing was considered a domestic chore that women carried out alongside the cooking. It was only with the industrialisation of brewing that men took over production. Even the ancient goddesses of beer such as Ninkasi, Dea Latis and Hathor, are all portrayed as female entities.

How do you see the role of women within brewing – and beer writing – progressing?

Like many industries, beer had its own ‘me too’ style reckoning, during which a number of women have spoken out to challenge the sexism (and worse) that exist in parts of the industry. More progress is still needed but I hope things are moving in the right direction. One great initiative is the International Women’s Collaboration Brew Day which takes place on March 8th every year and brings together women from all parts of the beer industry to network and brew alongside each other.

EMMA’S TOP FIVE BEERS

These obviously change on an almost daily basis but I’ll give it a go…!

ANSPACH & HOBDAY

The Porter (6.7%) A true beer of London, all roasty and bitter (try their London Black – a nitro porter –it’s also an absolute cracker!

DARK STAR

Hophead (3.8%) The perfect pint for a sunny afternoon in a beer garden.

ELUSIVE

Oregon Trail (5.8%) An old-school style West Coast IPA with a finish as bitter as my heart.

HARVEY’S

Sussex Best (4%) A beer with so many layers of flavour you can lose yourself in it. I’m very lucky to live only a few miles from the brewery!

LITTLE EARTH PROJECT

Hedgerow Blend (4-6%) A barrel-aged sour beer produced once a year using foraged wild hops and fruits. As good as a trip to the countryside!

There is no doubt that the topic of menopause is firmly out in the open; TV programmes, magazine articles and social media posts flood our screens and inboxes on a daily basis with tips and tricks for ‘managing’ the menopause.

By TANYA BOROWSKI