- Local Loves
What The Locals Are Loving: Ally Thomson of Range Brewing
The world of beer can be pretty blokey. But the team at Range Brewing – a taproom and brewery tucked away in an old warehouse at the ever-evolving northern end of Brisbane’s Newstead – is looking to change that.
Each year, in collaboration with the Pink Boots Society, a not-for-profit set up to encourage women working in beer, the badass women of Range come together to create an entirely female-driven brew (sidenote: it’s always bloody delicious).
One of those team members is Ally Thomson, a brewer and the mind behind many of the brand’s best-selling beers including the Range Sunshine XPA, with fresh hoppy notes of lychee, overripe mango and citrus peel. Ahead of International Women’s Day, we sat down with Alley to discover her ride-or-die range product and the one piece of advice she would give her younger self.
What do you love most about doing what you do?
Brewing at Range is this brilliant mix of science, creativity and a nice healthy dose of manual labour, that you don’t really find in the average 9-5. I also love being around people, so being able to work with an amazing team of people to problem solve, hypothesise and create each and every day is such a rewarding experience. Oh and people’s reactions when you tell them you’re a brewer…yeah that never gets old.
The Range Brewing team is celebrating IWD (today and all year round) by…
We much prefer year-round celebrations at Range Brewing, as opposed to one day alone. I am so lucky to work for a company with such strong female representation across every department, including our leadership team, so female achievement is really championed with every Range win.
One inspirational woman I’ve worked with is…
President of the Australian chapter of the Pink Boots Society and 2023 Service to the Industry Winner, Tiffany Waldron. While I haven’t technically worked with her, she has been a champion of the industry longer than I’ve probably been legal to drink beer. I had the honour of sitting alongside her in a panel discussion celebrating International Women’s Day a couple of years ago and I’m never more inspired, encouraged or educated than when having spent time with her.
The one piece of advice I wish I could give my younger self is…
You have just as much right to be here as anyone else. Imposter syndrome is a really big issue that nearly every female I’ve met in the industry has admitted to having. Don’t be afraid to speak your mind or ask for what you deserve and if the people around you aren’t listening, find the ones that will.
One piece of advice I have for women looking to make a career in beer would be…
Work for a company you believe in and people that you admire. Like any industry, there are highs and lows but both of those are made so much better to deal with if you’re surrounded by amazing people you align with.
Coming together over a beer is an age-old tradition. If I could share our Range Sunshine XPA with inspirational women, dead or alive, they would be…
I’m not sure how she’d take to beer and we’d need a translator in the room but the first name that comes to mind will always be Marie Curie for me. She’s the OG female badass in modern science, when women weren’t even able to attend most universities. Her insatiable curiosity, physically demanding and ultimately fatal career earned her two Nobel prizes and changed the history of science and medicine.
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