Ep. 93 - Laurie Porter of Smog City Brewing Co.

Drink Beer, Think Beer With John Holl

Show notes from John Holl:

As we’ve talked about on the show in the past, there are serious conversations and allegations happening in the beer industry, specifically, these days, around the treatment of women. Sadly, many of these stories are not new, but a lot of them have not been publicly talked about, until a few weeks ago when women started sharing their stories on social media.

There’s been a lot of talk, hopefully a lot of listening, some changes, and work towards meaningful action.

Laurie Porter is my guest this week. She’s the co-founder of Smog City, a brewery with several locations in Southern California that has helped shaped the Los Angeles Beer Scene over the last decade. She's on brewing industry advisory boards and guilds, and has focused, in her words, on every aspect of her company except the brewing.

But this week Smog City is set to release Total Boss, a red IPA made by the women of the brewery to spark a conversation about misogyny, sexism, assault, and more happening in the beer space.

Porter has spent a lot of time thinking about this and from the brewery’s beginning has tried to focus efforts to make Smog City a safe place and one where people are happy to work and feel like they can do their jobs without fear.

Still, these last few weeks have gotten her thinking about where things are, where they were, and where they can be."

This Episode is sponsored by:

Briess
Briess is the leading supplier of specialty malt to craft brewers. They offer the broadest product line in the industry, including a wide range of roasted malts that add flavor, color, and character to beer. Their experienced operators handcraft every batch of roasted malt to ensure the product you get is consistent. Check out BrewingwithBriess.com for beer recipes using roasted malt.

NZ Hops
NZ Hops, the co-operative of Master Hop Growers are a passionate collective of farms dedicated to innovation and sustainability. Leading the charge in sustainable farm practices, some NZ Hops farms have over five generations of knowledge that inform their composting program, used by growers to promote healthy regenerative growth of hops year upon year. This creates high quality soil, a critical component of healthy growing conditions. At NZ Hops, they feel that sustainability is not only being a steward for the land, but for our future. We’re in it together.

Lawson's Finest Liquids
The brewery is guided by five pillars – Excellence, Authenticity, Fun, Community and Innovation. These values are represented in their product quality, work culture, guest experience and charitable giving. The SIP, their Social Impact Program, is the Lawson’s Finest way of building impactful connections and strengthening our communities while creating memorable experiences.

For more Drink Beer, Think Beer or to check out Beer Edge: The Newsletter for Beer Professionals, follow us on Twitter @thebeeredge and subscribe to our beer industry focused newsletter. There is more information, articles, and engaging content at Beer Edge.

• Host: John Holl
• Guest: Laurie Porter of Smog City
• Sponsors: Briess, Lawson's Finest Liquids, NZ Hops, and The Beer Edge
• Tags: Beer, Red IPA, Los Angeles, News, Action, COVID-19, Women, Employment