EP-163 Jaega Wise of Wild Card Brewery

Published: March 11, 2018, 4:03 p.m.

You may have already heard of Wild Card Brewery\u2019s Jaega Wise\u2014especially over the past few months, as she\u2019s positioned herself as a prominent anti-sexism campaigner within the British beer industry. I had hoped to highlight the great work Wise is doing within this field in this episode, but was also keen to learn more about her history as a brewer and her businesses plans for future expansion. The danger with conversations like sexism in beer, as Wise and I discuss, is that too often the din of conversation can drown out voices, like hers, which are far more relevant and important to these vital conversations that we\u2019re having. While it\u2019s crucial that every effort is taken to create a platform for these voices, it\u2019s equally important to know when it\u2019s time to pipe down and let these voices be heard. And to all the dudes listening in right now, I\u2019m talking about you and me.\xa0 Wise originally hails from Nottingham, in the British Midlands\u2014the \u201cland of the Pale Ale,\u201d as she puts it. She speaks passionately about the region\u2019s pub culture and how it raised her into the world of beer. It\u2019s an industry she kind of just fell into, after studying Chemical Engineering at Loughborough University. Wise is also a musician, currently fronting a London based rock band as a singer. Oh, and she\u2019s a TV host, providing her wealth of beer knowledge on Channel 5\u2019s The Wine Show.\xa0 Despite all of this attention, she appears to be at her happiest and most content when she\u2019s working at her brewery, based in Walthamstow, North East London. When she\u2019s not brewing, you can usually find her in the taproom which, along with neighboring businesses like Pillars Brewery and God\u2019s Own Junkyard, has become an important hub for the local community. That sense of community has been key to this brewery\u2019s growth too, as it raised \xa3300,000 last year, aiding it\u2019s expansion to a new site this spring. Wild Card\u2019s five years of existence has not been without its obstacles, however. Wise is quick to point out the challenging margins available for cask beer within the current UK market. And, she concedes that despite trying not to succumb to trends, the pull of those such as New England IPA have been too great to resist. Listen in.