First Women in Beer® Awards Announce Winners, Spotlighting Industry Leaders and Rising Stars

Credit: Helen Smith Burum Collective

The sold-out inaugural Women in Beer® Awards took place last night at Eko Brewery and Taproom in London, celebrating the women shaping the beer industry.

More than 280 entries were judged by the Women in Beer® independent panel, comprised of Lorraine Copes, (Founder and CEO of Be Inclusive Hospitality), Jonny Garrett (Co-founder of Craft Beer Channel and Chair of the British Guild of Beer Writers), Daisy Turnell (Co-owner at Tipple Marketing), Andy Parker (Founder at Elusive Brewing), Helena Adedipe (Owner and Co-founder of Eko Brewery), and Anthony Adedipe (Owner and Co-founder of Eko Brewery).

The esteemed judges also had the important task of choosing the Women in Beer® Industry Icon, honouring a woman whose career and influence has impacted the beer industry for the better. For the first time the award was handed over to trailblazer and beer personality Melissa Cole.

Discussing the awards, Amelie Tassin founder of Women in Beer® said,

‘It’s been amazing to see the support of the industry for these awards. It was very exciting to organise the awards, and to see the room filled with so many talented women last night was a real recompense for me. We can all agree that Women in Beer® Awards are needed, and I am looking forward to working on the second edition next year.”

The winners in each category are:

Brewer of the Year - Sponsored by SIBA

• Kate Hyde - Hand Brew Co.

Rising Star Award - Sponsored by Simpsons Malt

• Lucy Stevens - Closet Brewing

Communicator of the Year - Sponsored by Crisp Malt and The Malt Miller LTD

• Joanne Love

Entrepreneur of the Year - Sponsored by Charles Faram

Highly Commended

• Elizabeth Townsend - Kerroo Brewing

Winner

• Lily Waite-Marsden - Queer Brewing

Beer Expert of the Year - Sponsored by Yakima Chief Hops

• Christina Wade

Mentor of the Year - Sponsored by The Keg Warehouse

• Dawn Maskell - International Centre for Brewing and Distilling at Heriot-Watt University

Industry Champion of the Year - Sponsored by SSV Limited

• Lucy Do - The Dodo Micropub

Beer Creative of the Year - Sponsored by WHC Lab

• Charlotte Waite-Marsden - Queer Brewing

Hospitality Leader of the Year - Sponsored by Hit Training

• Joanna Whalley - Wigan Central

Women in Beer 2025 - Industry Icon (judge’s choice) - sponsored by CAMRA

• Melissa Cole

ENDS

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Note to Editors:

About Women in Beer®:

Women in Beer® is a community. We are a group for women who like good beer and good company. We meet up in local pubs, attend events and festivals, visit breweries, and learn from other women in the brewing industry. We’re here to support women in their beer journey, whether it’s their passion, their career, or they are just looking for a new hobby.

Our activities are:

• The Group

• The Festival (WiB Fest)

• The Mentorship Programme

• The Awards

  
  

Website and social media

www.womeninbeer.co.uk

Instagram: @womeninbeeruk

Facebook: /womeninbeer

Bluesky: @womeninbeer.bsky.social

About Amélie Tassin – Founder of Women in Beer®

Amélie Tassin is the co-owner and director of Tipple Marketing, a beer-focused marketing agency based in Edinburgh, Scotland. A passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion in beer, she founded Women in Beer® in 2018 to create a space for women to connect, learn, and celebrate their shared love of great beer.

Since then, she has grown the initiative into a vibrant community with national reach. Amélie launched the Women in Beer Festival (WiB Fest) in 2019, showcasing women-led breweries and industry voices through tap takeovers, talks, and tastings. In 2023, she introduced the Women in Beer® Mentorship Programme, pairing women across the industry with experienced mentors to foster career growth, knowledge, and confidence.

In 2025, she expanded the platform once again with the Women in Beer® Awards, recognising and celebrating the women shaping the future of the beer industry.

All media queries, please contact press@tipplemarketing.com

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