Celebrating International Women’s Day with BBF

Every year, International Women’s Day gives us the opportunity to reflect on progress, celebrate achievements, and recommit to building industries and communities that are inclusive, representative, and empowering. This year at Bristol Beer Factory, that celebration comes in the form of a Kölsch IPA called Cowgirl Supernova - a 5.0% beer brewed with purpose and personality. With £2,000 from sales being donated to local charities, it also carries a powerful sense of belonging.

A Style That Bridges Worlds

Cowgirl Supernova 5.0% is a Kölsch IPA - a style that beautifully bridges the gap between lager and an ale. Clean and crisp like a lager, and brewed using lager malt and lagering techniques, yet carrying subtle fruit and floral character more often associated with modern pale ales, thanks to the use of ale yeast and hops.

The recipe was designed by Rosie and Briar - BBF’s two female brewers. With Rosie, originally from South Africa, and Briar, from New Zealand, bringing their skills and energy into the brewery, the timing felt natural. Briar introduced Nelson Sauvin hops, delivering tropical stonefruit drama, while Rosie added sorghum malt, traditionally used in South African beer. The result is clean, crisp, and colourful - much like the collaboration behind it.

The brew also features the Pink Boots Blend from Yakima Chief, a hop blend created in partnership with the Pink Boots Society. Each year, a portion of the proceeds from hop sales supports women, non-binary, and transgender individuals in the brewing industry through education and opportunity.

Brewed by women, in a style that defies rigid categories, this is the perfect pour to celebrate the fact that challenging the status quo creates something exceptional.

Reclaiming Brewing’s History

Centuries ago, women, known as brewsters or alewives, were brewing across the city, supplying their streets and neighbours with fresh ale. In a port city built on trade and industry, beer was part of daily life, and women were at the heart of it. Brewing was a skill, a source of income, and a vibrant community.

But as Bristol industrialised and brewing scaled up - from small domestic batches to larger commercial operations around the harbour and beyond - women were edged out. What had been theirs, became male-dominated, and the story of beer quietly rewrote them out.

Today, while progress is being made, the brewing industry is still heavily male dominated. But each year we see more women and marginalised genders enter the industry - not just in the brewery, but across marketing, design, production, packaging, hospitality, and on the other side of the bar.

At BBF, the beer we brew, the artwork on our cans, the stories we tell, and the spaces we create all play a role in ensuring that everyone can enjoy a world-class pint confidently and comfortably.

The message is clear: beer is for everyone.

From Recipe to Identity

Once Rosie and Briar developed the recipe, they passed the baton to Kezia, BBF’s Marketing Manager. Typically, design and tasting notes are designed by our male Head of Brand, Clem, but this time, the brief was in Kezia’s hands.

As she says: “The name Cowgirl Supernova is a playful nod to the Pink Boots Hops and the ‘Midwest princess’ energy that brings to mind. The women here at BBF have a shared love of bold, unapologetic femininity. It also ties directly to one of the community organisations we are supporting through the sale of the beer: the Easton Cowgirls.”

Beer That Gives Back

Our IWD brew isn’t just a great beer or a celebration of the women of BBF. It recognises and gives back to communities that support women and marginalised genders in our city all year round.

As part of Brewed to Give, BBF’s initiative that donates 2% of brewery sales to local charities, we’re giving £2,000 from Cowgirl Supernova sales to four Bristol-based charities and community organisations. Headed up by Kari, our Community Manager, with nominations from the women of BBF, we are supporting the following groups:

• The Easton Cowgirls - an anti-fascist, all-inclusive grassroots football collective. More family than traditional sports team, they create space for people to play, connect, and belong.
• One25 - a charity supporting women who are survivors of domestic violence and street sex work, offering practical and emotional support in some of life’s most challenging circumstances.
• Project Mama - providing essential support to migrant and refugee women in Bristol who find themselves pregnant without strong support networks, offering advocacy, healthcare access, and community.
• Trans Pride Bristol - fostering visibility, safety, and celebration for the trans community through events, advocacy, and grassroots organising.

To mark the brew day, Rosie and Briar opened the brewery doors. They invited women and colleagues from across the business, along with representatives from the charities being supported. It wasn’t a polished PR moment; tea was literally spilt (and cleaned up). People explored the brewery floor, asked questions, tasted the wort, witnessed the spectacle of the canning line, and heard every turn of the centrifuge. There was laughter, learning, collaboration - and a few beers to finish.

Raising a Glass

Cowgirl Supernova 5.0% is more than a Kölsch. It’s an IPA! And it's a statement that representation and authenticity matter. That if you want to change an industry, you don’t redesign an old recipe - you change who gets to write it.

At Bristol Beer Factory, the shift isn’t about replacing one group with another. It’s about widening the circle, ensuring that brewing teams, marketing departments, taprooms, and customers reflect the full diversity of the communities they serve.

We’ve brewed a beer that’s technically excellent and socially conscious. We’ve amplified the voices of women within our team. And we’ve put money directly into grassroots organisations supporting others in our city.

Whether you’re drawn in by the crisp Kölsch character, the Midwest cowgirl energy, the powerful IPA hop aromas, or the community spirit behind it, know that your pint of Cowgirl Supernova carries more than flavour. It carries history. It carries progress. And it carries the promise that the future of our industry, and the world around it, will be bolder, brighter, and more inclusive than ever.

Here’s to the women of BBF.
Here’s to the Easton Cowgirls, One25, Project Mama, and Trans Pride Bristol.
Here’s to Cowgirl Supernova.

Cheers.