For this year’s collaboration, KPU’s Brewing and Brewery Operations program has crafted the Shared Path India Session Ale, which will be available for public sales at the KPU Brew Lab and at Farm Country Brewing.

“Seeing students take the lead this year has been incredibly inspiring, as it reflects the motivation and leadership skills they will carry into the workplace,” said brewing instructor Martina Solano Bielen. “We’ve been participating in this collaboration for eight years now, and each time it creates a fun, meaningful and collaborative space for women and non-binary individuals to learn from one another, work together and support each other.”

The brewing team, consisting of students, instructors and staff, crafted a recipe that showcases vibrant aromatics and a balanced flavour. The final product is a soft, juicy, hazy India Session Ale with bright tropical and fruity hop aromas and a smooth, refreshing finish. Students had a hand in every stage of the process, from recipe development and production to packaging and release planning, with one student even taking the lead.

“As a brewing student working in commercial production, leading the recipe development for Shared Path was both exciting and meaningful,” said KPU brewing student Maria Yun. “This collaboration highlights how supportive the brewing community is for women working in the industry. The name Shared Path reflects how we continue to learn, grow and support one another throughout our brewing journeys.”

Shared Path will be available to the public for purchase in growler fills at the KPU Brew Lab on Friday, March 6, from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

It will also be available on International Women’s Day on Sunday, March 8, at Farm Country Brewing in Langley, B.C., for the brewery’s Tap Takeover event. This event celebrates the talented women and non-binary members of Langley’s craft beer community, with a portion of proceeds going to the Pink Boots Society Canada and the Ishtar Women’s Resources Society.

The new Pink Boots Yeast Strain, a versatile Kölsch strain originally from Germany, can be used for a wide variety of beer styles – making it a perfect choice for brewers looking to bring a unique and personal touch to their brew. It offers brewers crisp, bright, white wine-like aromas in light ales and enhances biotransformation and haze in hoppy IPAs, making it an ideal choice for hop-forward brews. Its ability to elevate citrus-forward flavours brings a unique, bold profile to any beer.

A perfect match for the Pink Boots hop blend and malt, this strain makes it easier for breweries to brew with purpose while supporting the mission of Pink Boots Society Canada. A generous 15 per cent of proceeds from each sale will go directly toward funding scholarships and programs that empower women and non-binary individuals to grow their careers in the brewing industry.

The Pink Boots Yeast Strain is available for order now through the Escarpment Labs website or by contacting sales@escarpmentlabs.com. To learn more about Pink Boots Society Canada’s annual Collaboration Brew Days and its ongoing efforts to support underrepresented groups in brewing, visit pinkbootscanada.com/brew-days.