Photo of
August 10, 2015
Heather McDonald, owner and head brewer at WooHa.
Heather McDonald, owner and head brewer at WooHa.

A cursory glance around most craft beer bars would probably lead you to think that a carefully curated beard was a pre-requisite for being interested in beer.

In fact, if you go far enough back in history, it was women who brewed beer as part of their household work.

Clean drinking water was not easy to come by so small beer, which was low in alcohol, was the staple drink of most households. Women made the beer in their role as brewsters.

Craft beer

It was only when brewing became industrialised that men took over the brewing role.

As the craft beer movement gathers pace, those gender roles are changing and more and more women, often with microbiology degrees, are becoming brewers.

WooHa Brewing Company is owned by Heather McDonald. Along with two other women, Heather brews and bottles her WooHa beers in her Nairn brewery.

Head brewster Heather said: ‘I have always had a passion for craft beer and after studying microbiology I saw an opportunity to use my skills and knowledge of the market to create a unique, modern craft beer product.’

WooHa’s brews are bottle conditioned and the brewery does not use any force carbonation, filtration or isinglass to clarify its beers – simply temperature and time.

North Hop

Currently one of the youngest microbreweries in Scotland, WooHa will be exhibiting its products at the Highlands largest indoor craft beer festival, North Hop later this month.

The brewery, which opened its first premises in January 2015, began brewing two products, the WooHa lager and the WooHa porter in April this year. They aim to have the WooHa IPA and WooHa Wheat ready for North Hop.

North Hop takes place on 21st and 22nd of August 2015 at Eden Court, in Inverness.

Tickets are on sale now and are priced at £15 + booking fee per session or £40 + booking fee for a weekend pass, which includes all sessions.