Community Highlights: Meet Rachel Benkowski of Beer Babes Family

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachel Benkowski.

Hi Rachel, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
Hi there, I’m Rachel Benkowski, and I’m known as Beerkowski. I am a Certified Cicerone, Historian, and Beer Educator. I work at Bone Haus Brewing in Fountain Hills where I wear many different hats. You can find me teaching Beer School, slinging beer at events and festivals, behind the bar, or working on marketing content. I am also the co-founder of a nonprofit organization in the USA and Canada called the Beer Babes Family, which gives business grants to women in the beer industry.

I love beer. That’s where all of this begins. But much like the history of beer, there is a complex and rich history that has led me to this point. My background includes many years of the academic study of ancient societies, specifically ancient Egypt. I have worked as an archaeologist abroad and in the USA, and I have also worked for several museums. No matter what part of history you study, beer is always there. Beer served as a crucial part of the progression of the development of modern civilization. From the birth of farming in Mesopotamia, all the way to the Alewives in Medieval Europe, beer was ever-present and ever-necessary to our sustainability.

Working in the beer industry, I continually witness several parallels between modern brewery culture and ancient society: beer brings people together–we gather and enjoy it as a community, we celebrate and mourn with it–it’s still a crucial part of who we are as a species. I just love that, and I want to continue to nurture it. I think that’s why I love talking about beer history so much because even though society is different now than it was in ancient Egypt, we are all still very much the same as people were back then–we can all relate to beer in some way.

Working in the beer industry also sparked the idea for the Beer Babes Family. As a woman in the business, I have witnessed firsthand that women are an up-and-coming force in the beer world, but they still need a lot of support. We have a lot of work to do to level out the ratio of women to men in the industry.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
I am fortunate in that I have not had many formidable obstacles. Most of what I am working towards today, in regards to Beer School and the Beer Babes Family, has slowly come to fruition in small segments. By simply following my passions and being observant of the beer industry and the people in it, I was able to see potential and opportunities for something new and different. Starting an international nonprofit was definitely a daunting task, and truthfully, a task I never imagined myself doing.

My beer journey began by simply working behind the bar pouring beer, and from there my curiosity about beer blossomed. It was working behind the bar that got me interested in pursuing my Cicerone education. My first Beer School was in July 2021, it was an idea that I’d had for a while. I wanted to combine my love of history and beer together into something fun, but I wasn’t sure how receptive people would be to the idea. I only had 4 people show up to the first Beer School, but now we sell out every session weeks before the event.

The two owners of Bone Haus, Keith Chapman, and Andy Weiner, have been incredibly supportive of me and every single beer endeavor I have ever presented them with, and they have helped me along the way, too. I could not imagine working for any other brewery.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Beer Babes Family?
The Beer Babes Family™ is a charitable organization in the USA and Canada. We work with breweries to brew our branded collaboration beer, called Babe Brew™.

Funds from the sales of Babe Brew (usually $1 a pint) go into the Beer Babes Family Grants Fund, which gives business grants to women in the beer industry who are trying to start or improve their beer business. For example, a brewer could apply for our grant to get new fermenters or a new walk-in, or the owner of a tap room could apply to replace all tap faucets or hoses.

Babe Brew is a series of beers dedicated to the women of our personal lives and of the world: who inspire us, push us, make us think deeper, mentor us and lead by example. To the women who break rules and norms, speak their truth with compassion, live each day with unapologetic confidence, and champion equality for all.

This year, in 2023, we are doing one Babe Brew collaboration per month, with breweries that are located all over Quebec, from Boston to Los Angeles, and everywhere in between!

Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
Just put yourself out there. Go to events, talk to strangers, and ask questions. People can be incredibly generous with their knowledge, time, and resources. Getting ahead is not about what you know, it’s about who you know.

Contact Info:

• Website: beerbabesfamily.com, brewswithbeerkowski.com
• Instagram: @brews.with.beerkowski | @beerbabesfamily
• Facebook: @beerbabesfamily

Image Credits
Brian Tchang