A Woman’s Brew
A Woman’s Brew Podcast follows the ‘beer-ventures’ of two beer-loving women – Joanne Love & Tori Powell – on their mission to get more people drinking and talking about great craft beers. The duo look to infuse equal parts education, playfulness, and story-telling with a dash of chaos across their episodes with the aim to make the craft beer hobby more fun and approachable for all – made by women for everyone! Tori and Joanne are both UK based, but weave in their US connections with their love of travel to bring you – dear listeners – stories from across the industry and across the globe. They hope that you’ll grab a drink of your choosing and join them for a round or few – CHEERS!
Listen on:
Episodes
Monday Jul 07, 2025
Monday Jul 07, 2025
In this episode of A Woman’s Brew, we look at our next bucket list beer and take a deep dive into one of the UK’s most influential beers: Thornbridge’s Jaipur. Celebrating 20 years of this modern classic, we crack open both the original Jaipur IPA and its alcohol-free sibling, to see if the peak beer of the Peak District still holds up. Expect honest tasting notes, thoughts on what makes Jaipur such a fridge staple, and plenty of laughter about surprising flavor finds — including the unmistakable Maris Otter malt backbone.
We break down how Jaipur helped shape the UK craft scene by bringing bold American hops to British drinkers back in 2005, and share a quick Thornbridge history lesson — from stables in Derbyshire to award-winning brews and legendary collaborations. We also compare how the alcohol-free version stacks up against the original, chatting through the pros and cons for designated drivers who still want a hoppy hit.
Beyond the beer, Joanne and Tori swap stories about visiting Thornbridge’s impressive Bakewell taproom (yes, there’s pizza and barbecue-ready meats too!) and give top tips for a Peak District brewery weekend. And, true to form, we go on the best kind of tangents: Bakewell tarts vs. puddings and a cheeky AI experiment that brings “Gavin Thornby” — the imaginary personification of Jaipur — hilariously to life.
Whether you’re a Jaipur veteran or a curious newbie, this episode is a love letter to a beer that’s stood the test of time. Join as we toast to Thornbridge’s legacy — and maybe inspire you to plan your own brewery road trip soon!
Get in Touch:
Website: https://awomansbrewpod.beer/
Email: awomansbrewpodcast@gmail.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awomansbrew/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AWomansBrew
Tori: @adventures_in_hoptimism
Joanne: @lovebeerlearning
Jo’s website: http://www.lovebeerlearning.co.uk
Support us: https://ko-fi.com/awomansbrew
Join our 2025 drinking challenge here
Subscribe:
Podbean
iTunes
Spotify
TuneIn
Watch:
YouTube
Music: Higher Up by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com
Monday Jun 23, 2025
Monday Jun 23, 2025
It’s time for another dive into the Question Jar! (or should we say, the Tell-All Tankard?) In this episode, Tori and Jo catch up after a hectic week, cracking open a couple of colourful beers—including one that turns your tongue blue—and sharing what’s been going on in their lives. From Aussie Schwarzbiers to imperial gelato sours, there’s plenty of tasting chat and spontaneous tangents sparked by what’s in our glasses. Also: plushies, ice cream nostalgia, and why a gumball at the bottom of your Mr. Whippy might be the hill you die on.
Food and beer pairing gets its moment in the spotlight, with us discussing our favourite comfort meals and the beers we’d choose to go with them—whether it’s spicy tacos with a juicy NEIPA or a fresh salad with a zingy gose. There’s also time for beer memories, from Tori’s Tokyo sunset pint to Joanne’s cruise ship Sam Adams epiphany, plus thoughts on how we share (or don’t share) our beer fridges with guests. Spoiler: if you’re offered something from the stash, you know you’re loved.
June also means Pride Month, so there’s a passionate discussion about supporting queer breweries all year round—not just for the rainbow beer photo op. Tori shares her work beer fridge win, and Joanne recommends a few books from her Prideopoly reading challenge. Camping plans, upcoming travel, and the eternal challenge of choosing the right beers to pack for a weekend away round out a warm, funny, and wide-ranging episode. Stay fresh, cheesebags!
Get in Touch:
Website: https://awomansbrewpod.beer/
Email: awomansbrewpodcast@gmail.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awomansbrew/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AWomansBrew
Tori: @adventures_in_hoptimism
Joanne: @lovebeerlearning
Jo’s website: http://www.lovebeerlearning.co.uk
Support us: https://ko-fi.com/awomansbrew
Join our 2025 drinking challenge here
Subscribe:
Podbean
iTunes
Spotify
TuneIn
Watch:
YouTube
Music: Higher Up by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com
Monday Jun 09, 2025
Monday Jun 09, 2025
This week we are chatting to Mirella Amato – the most qualified beer judge in Canada! Mirella not only has a wealth of knowledge from her experience in the beer industry and a multitude of qualifications, she has also literally written the book on it!
We chat to Mirella about her journey in beer so far and her work with the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) in creating their new beer qualifications. She gives us her tips for getting into beer judging and where to start with beer education – but remember! We all come to the table with our own tasting experience and palate.
Mirella has also written a book about beer and has an online beer and food pairing course you should check out! And then we get into Sake – it’s a fun ride of an episode!
Are you as inspired as us to get some more beer education?!
Find out more about Mirella on her website here:
https://beerology.ca/
Find Mirella’s book here:
https://beerology.ca/the-book/
Find her beer & food pairing course here:
https://beerology.ca/mastering-beer-food/
Find where to study with WSET here:
https://www.wsetglobal.com/where-to-study
Get in Touch:
Website: https://awomansbrewpod.beer/
Email: awomansbrewpodcast@gmail.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awomansbrew/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AWomansBrew
Tori: @adventures_in_hoptimism
Joanne: @lovebeerlearning
Jo’s website: http://www.lovebeerlearning.co.uk
Support us: https://ko-fi.com/awomansbrew
Join our 2025 drinking challenge here
Subscribe:
Podbean
iTunes
Spotify
TuneIn
Watch:
YouTube
Music: Higher Up by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com
Monday May 26, 2025
Monday May 26, 2025
This week we catch up, after far too long, with Sophie from Buxton Brewery. We first met Sophie at IWCBD at Heist back in 2022 and we are excited to hear about her adventures since then.
Sophie shared 3 excellent beers from Buxton with us – Plan Bee, a honey pale ale, Adventure is Worthwhile, a Kviek NEIPA from IWCBD and The Wang Doodle, an American brown.
We talk about Sophie’s journey into beer, her involvement in International Women’s Collaboration Brew Day and her experience of brewing internships. We also here about her time at Buxton and her tips for visiting the brewery.
We loved catching up with Sophie and can’t wait to have her back on again! Who do you want to hear us interview next?
Go grab the tasty beers we had over at Buxton’s webshop here:
https://buxtonbrewery.co.uk/shop/
Get in Touch:
Website: https://awomansbrewpod.beer/
Email: awomansbrewpodcast@gmail.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awomansbrew/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AWomansBrew
Tori: @adventures_in_hoptimism
Joanne: @lovebeerlearning
Jo’s website: http://www.lovebeerlearning.co.uk
Support us: https://ko-fi.com/awomansbrew
Join our 2025 drinking challenge here
Subscribe:
Podbean
iTunes
Spotify
TuneIn
Watch:
YouTube
Music: Higher Up by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com
Monday May 05, 2025
Monday May 05, 2025
We’ve got a long one for you this week as we welcome Kate Hyde from Hand Brew Co to join us once again!
This time we take the opportunity to hear about Kate’s journey into beer – it is captivating! We then dive right into International Women’s Collaboration Brew Day. Kate shares how she planned her first event, we talk about this year’s brew at Hand Brew Co, celebrating all the great people that attended and made the day special. Kate also shares how she goes about planning the event each year to make sure it is jam packed with value for the attendees. And we chat about her role as a mentor on the Women in Beer mentorship programme.
We drink Hand Brew Co’s IWCBD beer, Shimmy Up together and even get into hop innovations and trends.
This is an episode full of laughter and info – go grab yourself some Shimmy Up to drink while you listen here:
https://www.handbrewco.shop/products/shimmy-up-dipa-8-4-hand-x-iwcbd
The beer will raise money for the Women In Beer mentorship programme, donate to the fund yourself by joining the Women in Beer Patreon here:
https://www.patreon.com/WomenInBeerProjects
And find out more about IWCBD and Women on Tap here:
https://unitebrew.org/
Did you attend an IWCBD or have you drunk any of the beers brewed for International Women’s Day? Let us know!
Get in Touch:
Website: https://awomansbrewpod.beer/
Email: awomansbrewpodcast@gmail.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awomansbrew/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AWomansBrew
Tori: @adventures_in_hoptimism
Joanne: @lovebeerlearning
Jo’s website: http://www.lovebeerlearning.co.uk
Support us: https://ko-fi.com/awomansbrew
Join our 2025 drinking challenge here
Subscribe:
Podbean
iTunes
Spotify
TuneIn
Watch:
YouTube
Music: Higher Up by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com
Monday Apr 21, 2025
Monday Apr 21, 2025
We’ve been inspired by Mauldon’s Brewery and their International Women’s Day beer Anna Maria, to find out about some lesser know women in beer.
We find out more about Anna Maria, the founder of Mauldon’s. We also introduce you to Mary Lisle and reintroduce you to Sister Doris, who you may remember from A Woman’s Place Is In The Brewhouse by Tara Nurin.
Do you have any women you’d like us to feature in future episodes? Let us know!
Find out more about Anna Maria and Mauldon’s here:
https://mauldons.co.uk/pages/history?srsltid=AfmBOopAiNWDho1UXFm2gn0X8ZzcWXDBJvEDO-XcRB1qzPqCEAJyICz7
Read the article by Miller about Mary Lisle here:
https://www.molsoncoorsblog.com/miller-lite-mary-lisle-brewster-alewives
And read about Sister Doris here:
https://www.npr.org/2021/08/23/1026707774/a-pilgrimage-to-meet-germanys-last-beer-brewing-nun
If you are interested in more stories about women in beer, we recommend these books by Tara Nurin and Dr Christina Wade:
https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/a-woman-s-place-is-in-the-brewhouse-a-forgotten-history-of-alewives-brewsters-witches-and-ceos-tara-nurin/5753551?ean=9781641603423
https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-devil-s-in-the-draught-lines-1000-years-of-women-in-britain-s-beer-history-dr-christina-wade/7621870?ean=9781852493868
https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/filthy-queens-a-history-of-beer-in-ireland-dr-christina-wade/7738083?ean=9781738479528
Get in Touch:
Website: https://awomansbrewpod.beer/
Email: awomansbrewpodcast@gmail.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awomansbrew/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AWomansBrew
Tori: @adventures_in_hoptimism
Joanne: @lovebeerlearning
Jo’s website: http://www.lovebeerlearning.co.uk
Support us: https://ko-fi.com/awomansbrew
Join our 2025 drinking challenge here
Subscribe:
Podbean
iTunes
Spotify
TuneIn
Watch:
YouTube
Music: Higher Up by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com
Monday Apr 07, 2025
Monday Apr 07, 2025
It’s April already – so that can mean only one thing… Our quarter 1 review!
Jo can’t remember any of her bear goals, so sets herself some new ones. Tori is making good progress and we are both filling up the super spreadsheet of (beer) wonder!
We share our highlights from the first quarter of the year, our plans for Q2 and how we are doing with the A Woman’s Brew challenge and the Drink Harder challenge.
Are you joining us on our beer challenge? Check our links to download the challenge list!
Get in Touch:
Website: https://awomansbrewpod.beer/
Email: awomansbrewpodcast@gmail.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awomansbrew/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AWomansBrew
Tori: @adventures_in_hoptimism
Joanne: @lovebeerlearning
Jo’s website: http://www.lovebeerlearning.co.uk
Support us: https://ko-fi.com/awomansbrew
Join our 2025 drinking challenge here
Subscribe:
Podbean
iTunes
Spotify
TuneIn
Watch:
YouTube
Music: Higher Up by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com
Monday Mar 24, 2025
Monday Mar 24, 2025
We are starting a new series – Bucket List Beers! And if this beer isn’t on your bucket list, you should probably add it. We’re starting with Westvleteren 12!
We go deep, giving you the history of the beer, the BJCP guidelines, tasting notes specific to the beer and Jo’s live reaction to her first ever taste!
Find out more about this beer here:
https://www.trappistwestvleteren.be/en/our-beers/trappist-westvleteren-12
Check out the BJCP guidelines here:
https://www.bjcp.org/style/2015/26/26D/belgian-dark-strong-ale/
What bucket list beers do you want us to try in this series? Let us know!
Get in Touch:
Website: https://awomansbrewpod.beer/
Email: awomansbrewpodcast@gmail.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awomansbrew/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AWomansBrew
Tori: @adventures_in_hoptimism
Joanne: @lovebeerlearning
Jo’s website: http://www.lovebeerlearning.co.uk
Support us: https://ko-fi.com/awomansbrew
Join our 2025 drinking challenge here
Subscribe:
Podbean
iTunes
Spotify
TuneIn
Watch:
YouTube
Music: Higher Up by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com
Monday Mar 10, 2025
Monday Mar 10, 2025
This week we are joined by Nia and James from Ideal Day Family Brewery. Based in Cornwall, Nia and James tell us about their vision of success for the brewery and how the whole family gets involved.
We sample some of the delicious beers from Ideal Day and discuss the beer styles on offer – what is a field beer and why is it so refreshing? We talk regenerative agriculture and how brewers can learn more about the grains they use in their brews.
We also go deep into how and why makers are gonna make and how the hands on approach is an important part of the ethos at Ideal Day Family Brewery.
Beers we drank:
Path to the Sun – Field Beer
Scenic Route – Lagered Beer
Campfire – Hoppy Stout
Check out Ideal Day’s website to find out where you can try these beers:
https://idealdaybrewery.com/
And make sure you give them a follow on their socials!
https://www.instagram.com/idealdaybrewery/?hl=en-gb
Get in Touch:
Website: https://awomansbrewpod.beer/
Email: awomansbrewpodcast@gmail.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awomansbrew/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AWomansBrew
Tori: @adventures_in_hoptimism
Joanne: @lovebeerlearning
Jo’s website: http://www.lovebeerlearning.co.uk
Support us: https://ko-fi.com/awomansbrew
Join our 2025 drinking challenge here
Subscribe:
Podbean
iTunes
Spotify
TuneIn
Watch:
YouTube
Music: Higher Up by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com
Monday Feb 24, 2025
Monday Feb 24, 2025
This week we are being chatty Cathys and bringing you some random, news, topics, updates and answers to questions you didn’t even know you needed to hear!
Our topics range from sustainability, brewery closures, haunted restaurants, beer & food pairing and KFC mac & cheese! We also introduce you to our ‘new’ logo… we’ve had it for a year, but we never told you about it! Oh! And we’ve got a new website, so go check that out too!
We ask – should we go bi-weekly? Let us know what you think!
Get in Touch:
Website: https://awomansbrewpod.beer/
Email: awomansbrewpodcast@gmail.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awomansbrew/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AWomansBrew
Tori: @adventures_in_hoptimism
Joanne: @lovebeerlearning
Jo’s website: http://www.lovebeerlearning.co.uk
Support us: https://ko-fi.com/awomansbrew
Join our 2025 drinking challenge here
Subscribe:
Podbean
iTunes
Spotify
TuneIn
Watch:
YouTube
Music: Higher Up by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com