Sexism Still Evident In New Zealand Brew Contest, No Women Allowed.

A woman has been banned from a New Zealand home-brew contest on the simple fact that she was a female. Sounds like the ignorance of yesteryear, right?

Rachel Beer is the apparent victim. The appropriately-named woman has brewed about six of her own brews over the past few years, and has gotten some relatively positive feedback on her creations from friends. But the Lake Hayes A&P Show in Queenstown that she tried to enter told her that the contest was for “blokes only.”

The country’s Human Rights Commission noted that the competition may be in violation of the Human Rights Act, but considering Ms. Beer doesn’t intend to file a complaint, the commission was unable to comment on the situation further.

The New Zealand Herald rounded out their coverage of the situation with a very interesting quote from the President of the Brewers’ Guild of New Zealand, Ralph Bungard, who called the rule “ridiculous.” Bungard continued, reminding that “traditionally it was a woman’s job to brew the beer.”

The Society of Beer Advocates cites that of their 500 members, about 10% were women, and many had their own breweries. Female beer brewers, as Ralph Bungard explained, are known as “brewsters.”

“That was their job, to make beer, just as it was to bake the bread. It was a very female profession.”

I wonder if men bake out in those parts?