SheBrew Brewers Highlight Beers & History of 10th Annual Female Brewfest — New School Beer + Cider

Gloria Zeiger, head brewer of Portland’s Ground Breaker Brewing, was first introduced to SheBrew by one of the festivals first year brewers Lee Hedgemon. Just before the COVID-19 pandemic shut everything down, Zeiger had the opportunity to work with Hedgemon (a former brewer, distiller, and now entrepreneur behind The Barreled Bee) on her 2020 SheBrew entry Welcome Back to Oz Trippel.

“Being a female head brewer can be an isolating experience,” says Zeiger. “In my previous roles in wine production, I was often the only woman in the space. But the open arms and encouragement from Jenn McPoland, Teri Fahrendorf, James Neumeister, and Jesse Bufton have not only made me a better brewer but a more confident one. I deeply value female-focused spaces—whether it’s my alma mater, Saint Mary’s College, or organizations like Pink Boots Society—so being part of SheBrew is incredibly meaningful to me.”

The first time Zeiger was able to participate in SheBrew with her own recipe was with a memorable Carrot Cake Cream Ale in 2023. This year marks her third SheBrew in a row, where she will debut a Mexican-style lager called Love Your Body.

For Zeiger, being an under-represented member of the beer industry is not the only challenge. As someone with Celiac disease, she often can’t even try most of the beers herself at risk of serious adverse health risks. She takes that as a challenge to find her inspiration in her personal drive to experience styles of beer that would be difficult to find gluten-free.

“Lately, I’ve been really drawn to refreshing lagers, which led me to brew a Czech Pilsner and, for this event, the Love Your Body Mexican Lager. At Ground Breaker, our brewing process is similar to traditional methods, but we adapt by designing recipes with alternative grains. For this lager, I used malted rice and millet, carefully adjusting the water chemistry to replicate the crisp, clean flavors described by my friends in their favorite lagers.”