Crisp pilsners... light and fruity wheat beers, hoppy IPAs... when summer’s at its hottest, your favorite domestic, import and craft beers are waiting at Giant Eagle! www.GiantEagle.com

Classic Tanqueray and Tonic 1 oz. Tanqueray London Dry Gin (25 oz. per bottle) 1/4 oz. lime juice 3 oz. tonic water Fill a highball glass with ice. Add Tanqueray London Dry, lime juice and tonic water. Please Drink Responsibly

Here are a few for your poolside enjoyment:

Samuel Adams Blackberry Witbier: The addition of Marion blackberries from Oregon gives this wheat ale a delightfully crisp, fruity twist. The berries are more prevalent in the aroma than in the flavor, where it’s decidedly subtle and clean, complemented by a touch of orange and coriander. The brewery recommends enjoying this with blueberry crisp, but it would shine just as well with some simple toasts and fresh chevre.

Bayerischer Bahnhof Berliner Weisse: Made in Leipzig, this ale is a mellower version of the traditional style made with a blend of conventional yeast and a lactic culture imparting a sharp acidity. Bayerischer has citrus flavors and lactic sourness in the background. Napolean’s troops in Berlin called it the "Champagne of the North" and cut the acidity with syrup. A suggestion: Leave it alone and order lobster tail with butter.

Magic Hat Wacko: This summer seasonal is a strangely appealing amber color with a salmon-pink hue, thanks to the addition of beet juice color. Perhaps it’s the association with summer things - watermelon, rhubarb, strawberries - that makes a pink beer forgivable. It’s got a lovely, malty, floral aroma and crisp flavor with just a hint of sweetness. It also looks beautiful next to the lawn flamingoes.

- Sarah Jaquay and Donna Marchetti

Pink Boots and the Women Who Brew in Them

Teri Fahrendorf had no idea her mother-in-law’s gift for a 5-month road trip in the summer of 2007 would lead to 70 breweries and the next chapter in her distinguished career as a beer professional. The gift was a pair of pink rubber boots. "Every brewer wears rubber boots for safety," Fahrendorf said. She wanted a pink pair because it’s a little-girl color in a male-dominated industry.

Fahrendorf was the brewmaster at Steelhead Brewing in Eugene, Oregon, for 17 years and already a beer pioneer as one of the first female brewmasters at an American craft brewery. As she embarked on her cross-country journey to connect and brew with other professionals, she felt as though she were "representing her entire gender."

"I like to mentor people. I like to connect," Fahrendorf said. So it was only natural that as Fahrendorf met other female brewers, she wanted to stay in touch. They kept asking, "How many women brewers are out there?" Fahrendorf didn’t know but decided it was time to figure that out and form a clearinghouse for feminine brewers to network and mentor each other.

"[A] list of women brewers sounds too boring," Fahrendorf stated, explaining how she chose the Pink Boots Society’s name. The organization encourages women to become beer professionals and advance their careers in the industry, primarily through education. Fahrendorf started it because so many young women brewers were amazed at her longevity in the profession and what she’d accomplished. They wanted to network. The group is open to "any woman who earns her living (or part of it) from beer on a continuing basis," she said. The organization has two annual meetings and runs separate member sessions at the Great American Beer Festival.

When asked if the fair sex has any advantage in this field, Fahrendorf offered anecdotal evidence. "Some say women have palates more sensitive to bitterness." She speculated it could be due to females’ anthropological roles as hunter-gatherers with offspring on their backs. "Women needed to taste the food before their families. If something was bitter, it could be poison."

Modern female brewers work with technology as opposed to infants, but they are making their presence known and sharing the wisdom of their experience and palates via their pink boots.

For more information, see www.pinkbootssociety.org .

- Sarah Jaquay

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