Is your brewery planning a Pink Boots Collaboration Brew? Or thinking about brewing up something special in honor of International Women’s Day on March 8? If so, Valley Malt has a special ingredient to give your beer a little extra girl power.

On February 7 we’ll release our second annual batch of Girl Power Pilsner Malt, grown and malted entirely by women.

For centuries, beer was brewed primarily by women, using grains that were malted by women. During the Industrial Revolution, the practices were transferred from the women’s domains of kitchens and homesteads, and into commercial factories. Only in recent decades have women reclaimed their leadership in the worlds of malt and brew.

Rachel McDermott is one of those leaders. Her Dancing Grain Farm Brewery is a “field-to-glass” operation, growing barley, rye, and corn with an eye towards sustainability and farmland conservation, as well as delicious beer.

Valley Malt’s own co-founder Andrea Stanley is another leader, having pioneered the craft malthouse movement in the Northeast. She and maltster Sheila Sweeney will malt a limited quantity of Girl Power Pilsner using Dancing Grain’s Violetta, a 2-Row winter barley. The resulting base malt will be ideal for clean and crisp lagers as well as IPA's and any beers requiring good enzymes and low color.

The malt will sell for $1.02 per pound with 5% of the proceeds going to the Boston chapter of the Pink Boots Society. Supplies are limited so if you’re interested, the time to place your pre-order is now!