Newfoundland and Labrador’s craft beer scene has been expanding over the last few years but not many have made mention about queer brewers.

Queer Beer N.L. is looking to add a splash and become more prominent in the industry. 

It all began at an International Women’s Day event where members met about the science of brewing beer at Mill Street Brewery in St. John’s.

“Most of the information went over my head, but we sat next to each other and randomly decided to start brewing together,” said Terra Barrett, one of the group’s founding members.

While the members of Queer Beer N.L. have rotated, the collective currently consists of Barrett, Stacey Pike, Natalie Dignam and Chelsea King — and their beer skills have improved considerably since they began brewing four years ago.

“In the beginning, we did a kit, which took us the entire day. It’s almost embarrassing because we’ve come so far from that,” Barrett said.

“Then we did Brew in a Bag. Next, we attempted all-grain recipes. Now we develop our recipes with our own flavours. Our knowledge has grown so much.”

Queer Beer N.L. gets together every six weeks for “brewing day,” when they create beer, eat sandwiches and sample beverages from local breweries. They’ll reunite a month later for the bottling day when they’ll divide the spoils.

“Brewing day is the greatest,” Pike said.

“Pre-pandemic, we also had Beer and Book night, where we talked about different styles of beers and had a book discussion. The books didn’t have to be queer literature, but we made sure the authors weren’t just straight and white — we wanted to read other voices. We’d like to do that again as the group grows.”

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Photo courtesy of Andie Bulman/CBC