by Judith Levine In early May, Brienne Allan, production manager at a Massachusetts craft brewery, took to her Instagram page to invite women to share their stories of sexism in the industry.
Hundreds poured in, describing everything from frat–boy boorishness to outright racism and assault. Allan edited the posts together so they pass by almost too fast to read. The impression is of a gushing sewer pipe.
The accusers are anonymous. The accused are not. Allan’s disclaimer: “These are not my stories and I do not vouch for their accuracy.”
Followers multiplied, from 2,200 to almost 58,000 at this writing. The trade press picked up the story. Soon prominent brewers, some with years’ of accusations against them, were falling.
Because some of the allegations of misogynist behavior involve a much-lauded pioneer of Vermont’s thriving craft brewing industry, a Vermont news site reported on it. The site allowed that it was “not able to independently corroborate the allegations.” Nevertheless, it published the man’s photograph at the top of the page.
On the strength of the rumors, at least one Vermont restaurant stopped carrying the company’s beers. Others will no doubt follow.
It’s been a month of swift justice.
In New York, a woman accused the frontrunner in a crowded mayoral race of unwanted sexual overtures during a campaign 20 years earlier. Within a day, it was revealed that this apparently powerless girl was actually 30 years old and in a consensual relationship with the candidate at the time—and that she was now working for his closest competitor.
But it was too late. Endorsements had evaporated. The same week, a veteran public radio host was fired for “bullying”— in his word, “yelling.” Producing a weekly radio show is stressful. People get testy. But he’d been reported and warned, and did it again. Ta-ta.
The arguments for projects like Allan’s and responses like these are that women and other vulnerable people need to protect each other because the “proper channels” do not deliver justice. Women rarely lie about sexual harassment so should be taken at their word. And if a few guys get burnt, that’s unfortunate but fair, given all the sexual harm men have dished out and gotten away with.
Although some of the accused men on her page probably deserve what’s coming, Allan says she feels bad. “Outing people on the Internet,” told Good Beer Hunting, “wasn’t my intention in any way.” What was?
She clearly wants to change the industry. That needs to happen. A 2019 survey found that only 7.5 percent of employees with the title of brewer were women, and almost nine in 10 owners were white. These young men are treated like demigods—in Vermont as saviors of the economy to boot. Beer itself has a macho image.
Many readers know the name of man in question, or can easily find out. But I have omitted it and believe all publications should do the same when there are allegations without evidence and arrests without charges.
Even a rumor of committing sexual misconduct can get wreck a livelihood, a family, and a reputation forever. Women are not exempt from ruinous accusations. As a colleague of the New York candidate noted, somebody claims you hit your kid 20 years ago, and you’re finished.
In a statement to VinePair, the Vermont brewer said he’d “never acted in a manner that was openly, willingly or consciously dismissive, degrading or threatening,” but is “listening” and desires to talk and learn. He hopes “the entire [craft brewing] community might move . . . collectively, toward a place of shared respect, safety, personal responsibility, equitable conversation, and inclusive diversity.”
VinePair’s comment: the word “sorry” was “glaringly” missing. In such cases, either apologizing or not apologizing is interpreted as evidence of guilt.
The problem is not only that innocent people get hurt. It’s that guilty people have no opportunity to take accountability and do better. Craft brewing—like most industries—needs to change. But it won’t change this way.
Judith Levine is a journalist and Hardwick resident. Her most recent book is The Feminist & the Sex Offender: Confronting Sexual Harm, Ending State Violence (Verso, 2021). She's also a former columnist for Seven Days.
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