Summer is in full swing, and the best way to enjoy it is with great beer and wonderful people! We’ll be meeting at Granite Brewery and Tied House in Toronto, and bonus, their head brewer is PBSC member Mary Beth Keefe. Pink Boots Canada will buy your first beer and some snacks, but GB has a full restaurant as well if you need a bit more to eat. If you’re a PBSC member, come hang out and meet other members in person. If you know of someone who hasn’t joined yet but should, invite them along! We’ll have some small PBSC swag to share.

This month, our Boots and Bevvies social will be a little special because we have a sake expert joining us! Annette May, Advanced Cicerone®, BJCP Judge, Certified Saké Professional, WSET Certified Beer Educator, is a 30-year veteran of the craft beer industry. She’s a beer and Saké educator, teaching sensory evaluation, food and beer pairing, as well as draught management and Introduction to Saké at Schoolcraft’s PPL Program. She’s a regional instructor and exam grader for the Cicerone® Certification Program. She recently joined the WSET team as both an online and in-person Beer Educator for their Levels One and Two Beer Awards. She serves on the Brewers Association’s Draught Quality Subcommittee and has presented on Draught Quality at the Craft Brewers Conference multiple times. If you’d like to purchase sake beforehand so that you can participate in real time, Annette recommends looking for the Junmai style (any name brand is fine). Look for bottles that are labeled “Junmai” or “Junmai Tokubetsu”.

Our first in-person PBSC event is happening in Calgary, AB! One of our PBS Canada members, Alyx Zeilstra, EHS Manager at Banded Peak Brewing will guide attendees through a thoughtfully curated beer and cheese/food pairing at Banded Peak Brewing Company. And Pink Boots Canada is picking up the beer portion! All you have to do is purchase your food pairing $ 25 ticket and enjoy. Space is limited, so please register as soon as possible. This event is open to current PBS Canada members, as well as potential members, so if you know someone who might be interested in learning more about Pink Boots, make sure they don’t miss this amazing event!