When it comes to brewing beer, many would think it's for the guys. But ladies like Barbara Gerovac, co-founder of Anaheim Brewery are part of a group trying to change those misconceptions.
"I grew up in a family of all girls, so we didn't have distinctions of this work as men's work," Gerovac said. "It's just work, needs doing. And so the idea of making beer for a living just seemed fun."
Gerovac, 49, officially re-opened the brewery in 2010. With seven years in the professional brewing business, she and her husband, Greg, 52, re-opened the pre-Prohibition era brewery in Anaheim.
Barbara is a member of the Pink Boots Society, an organization of female brewers looking to encourage and empower women in beer industry careers. In an already small business, Barbara said it is nice to find the camaraderie. In fact, the group's next regional quarterly meeting will be held at the Anaheim Brewery.
"Sharing stories and ways of coping and ways of dealing with being a brewer so it's been really fun being a part of that," Gerovac added.
Greg Gerovac has been brewing beer professionally for 10 years.
"She's an excellent brewer," said Greg Gerovac. "We've got similar backgrounds, been to similar schools, worked on similar sized brewery systems."
The two are equals, both immersed in the science and art of the eight-hour brewing process, Greg Gerovac added.
A batch of any type of beer makes 620 gallons or 5,800 plus pints. Barbara described the process that begins with malted barley seeds, which hold energy for yeast to start fermenting. Heat extracts the starches from the sugars. After this process, it takes about three weeks for the beer to be ready to pour and drink, according to the Gerovacs.
"We take this watery, almost like soupy, oatmeal. We separate the sugary liquid and boil it," Barbara said. "We add hops whether we want bitter flavor taste or bitter aroma when you smell, raise it to lips and then we cool it and hand it over to the yeast to let them do their thing. There is such a satisfaction with taking ingredients and getting it to that end result."
Then, there is the knowledge the Anaheim Brewery is part of a larger thing -- redevelopment of the city's downtown and the community. The brewery is part of a business plan for the area developed by the Anaheim Redevelopment Agency.
For Barbara, it's about getting ahead and changing perceptions one pint at a time.
The Anaheim Brewery is open for taste testing on the weekends, Friday through Sunday. They have four basic beers -- Anaheim Gold, Red, Hefe-weizen and 1888, a style made in the original brewery from the 1870s.
The Tasting Room is located at 336 South Anaheim Boulevard, Anaheim, CA 92805. For more information call 714-780-1888.
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