Women in Beer Series – Maggie Foley

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Women in Beer Series – Maggie Foley

As the president of Ladies of Craft Beer, I get the pleasure of meeting many amazing women who are a part of the craft beer industry. Each woman has great stories and amazing insight into the world of craft beer. This has inspired me to start a “Women in Beer” interview series. Whether brewing, blogging, selling, marketing, or advocating craft beer, women from all over the industry will answer the following ten questions to share with your their thoughts and experiences with craft beer. I hope that these little glimpses into the minds of these great women will inspire you.

If you know or have heard of a woman in the craft beer community that you think deserves to be highlighted in this series, please send me your suggestion(s).

Cheers!

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Maggie (left) at the Belgian Beer Festival with friends

Maggie Foley is the Brand Manager at Backlash Beer Company.

1. What was your first beer experience?   

While I don’t remember my first beer experience per se, I do remember my first true craft experience – Dogfish Head Fort. I’d never had a higher alcohol brew before and it was certainly quite different from any fruit beer I’d had in the past. One sip and that was it, I was hooked!

2. If you brew/homebrew, what or who inspired you to start brewing? What do you do in the industry and what or who inspired you to get into it?   

While I leave the brew master duties to my partner, Helder, I certainly help out wherever I can. Instead, my role at Backlash Beer Co. is Brand Manager – I’ve worked in advertising agencies for the past few years and was just thrilled at the opportunity to do what I love for a brand that I could stand behind 100%. I’m currently taking a hiatus from my planned career path to ensure Backlash gets up and running this summer – a bit scary but very exciting! While that’s my area of expertise, in a company of just 2 people we certainly have to step outside of our job requirements to ensure everything gets done.

Instead of being inspired by just one person, I truly was drawn to the community as a whole. I’ve never encountered such a warm, inviting, and kind group of people. There are all walks of life in the craft beer space, but everyone seems to share two core values – a genuine love of what they do, and the desire to share their passion with others.

Maggie during a brewday

3. What is your favorite beer to brew and why? What is your favorite beer to drink and why?   

While I’m usually at the mercy of my Backlash partner when it comes to brewing, my favorite brew day is any that involves lots of hop additions. I’m a huge hophead, and it’s all my partner can do to wrangle the little bags of hops away from me to add to the boil. But seriously… how good does fresh hops smell??

Drinking-wise I can often be found with an IPA in hand, although I’m learning to appreciate some of the more subtle styles. A few months ago I went down to Fullsteam in Durham, North Carolina and discovered their unreal Cream Ale — El Toro. Since then, I’ve been tasting Cream Ales like a mad person trying to find something comparable up here in Boston, but haven’t found anything I love quite yet. Might just have to create our own Backlash version just to satisfy my craving!

4. What is/was your favorite beer event to attend, and why?   

I have to admit that the American Craft Beer Fest in Boston was my favorite event of the year so far – it’s loud and overwhelming, but the energy is unmatched. I especially love being able to connect with people who don’t know much about craft beer, or maybe enjoy just a couple craft brands, but are genuinely interested in learning more. It’s a great opportunity to grow and fuel the craft beer movement, which is one of the core values behind Backlash.

5. Have you taken any tasting and/or brewing courses? What are your thoughts on such courses?   

I haven’t had any tasting courses, but I’d love to take one at some point. Taste can be such a subjective experience, I often find that when tasting a new beer my partner picks up on flavors that are more subtle to me, and vice versa. I’m always interested to learn the ways that other people interpret flavors and what it is that they enjoy about specific recipes.

I also haven’t had any official brewing courses, but I regularly play brewer’s assistant at Backlash. I’ve certainly learned a great deal about the brewing process and enjoy helping out, but I think I’ll leave it up to the experts.

Backlash's Maiden Brew, called Groundswell

6. What advice do you have for anyone interested in getting into your aspect of the beer industry?   

My best advice would be to start connecting with people in the industry – through social media like Twitter and Facebook, as well as in person through tastings and events. From my experience, people in the craft beer space are very approachable and are happy to help, but it’s up to you to start asking questions.

If you’d like to get into marketing or brand management specifically, start with the basics – what brands do you gravitate to, which do you absolutely love, and why? Reach out to some of your favorite brands and see if they could use your help. We had a few avid supporters who wanted to help support Backlash, so we created a Brand Ambassador program to get them involved. You’ll never know unless you ask!

7. What beer would you want to brew/ want to see brewed?   

Cream Ale, Cream Ale! As I mentioned, it’s my current obsession and it seems to be a misunderstood and underrepresented style. Would love to hone in on my own recipe at some point.

8. What has been your hardest challenge in the industry? What has been your greatest success?   

Certainly one of the challenges of the beer industry is feeling at times like you’re the only woman in a room full of men, or that beer is only intended for men who are served pints by scantily clad ladies. Thankfully I’m finding more and more women who are involved in craft beer, which is wonderful!

Our greatest success to date is simply seeing our company grow and come to life. Backlash was a dream for a few years, but the stars are aligning and hard work is finally paying off. If all goes well, we should be on tap and sold in stores by early August!

9. Tell us your most fun beer story.   

My first experience with home brewing is one of my fondest beer memories to date. I was just so enchanted with the whole process… although I wasn’t particularly thrilled about how long I had to wait until I could try it out!

10. What is your take on the craft beer industry? What is your favorite thing about it? What could stand improvement?

My sense is that the craft beer industry as a whole is at a tipping point – the public’s knowledge and interest in craft beer seems to be accelerating at a rapid pace. Even T.G.I Friday’s is now using Harpoon IPA in some of their recipes; for such a huge organization to be supporting and leveraging the craft industry proves to me that things are changing. Fast.

My favorite part of the industry is also the part that could stand a bit of adjustment. I love that at any given time, I can select a beer to match my mood. Light and easy drinking, to dark and complex – it’s easy to switch things up with a near never-ending variety to choose from. Although at times it feels we can get hung up on the artisanal aspect of the craft, and lose sight of the main goal – enjoyment. For you personally whether that means simple easy drinking flavors or a complex recipe with rare ingredients, it’s all good. Cheers!

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