Molly on the Menu

As women brewers are growing in number, they are finding unique inspiration and exploring collaborations in an often male-dominated field. Amanda Camp is a Certified Master Cicerone and freelance brewery consultant with a creative hold on brewing and a strong idea of what beer can do for women around the world. Camp works closely with Ebb & Flow Fermentations of Cape Girardeau, Missouri on many projects and enterprises, but in the past few years, she has orchestrated her own project: The Goddess Series. 

The Goddess Series is a series of beers brewed by Camp and other fellow women in beer, with each beer being inspired by a female-identifying goddess, myth or legend from a different geological location of the world. The beers are brewed with historically plentiful or indigenous ingredients of that chosen location.

Camp aspires to create a connection between the female ancestors of brewing and the generations ahead. 

“I feel like it is so important to remind the brewing industry, and honestly myself, that not only do women have a place at the table, but we built this table,” Camp said. “I wanted to draw inspiration from the badass women before me, and hopefully inspire a whole other generation of women to let them know that this is absolutely a place for you.”

The first beer of the series was the Uzume: inspired by the Japanese goddess and brewed with Japanese plums and fig leaves; the second beer released was the Arduina: influenced by Camp’s trip to Belgium, brewed with chocolate rye malt and hickory. 

On July 22 of 2023, Camp released her third beer of the series: the Mamogaswa, a goddess both feared and respected by the Tswana tribe of South Africa. 

Camp originally connected with Obakeng Malope of “Beer is Art” from South Africa through the Women’s Craft Fermentation Alliance, and was instantly moved by her energy, love and passion for what she does for her South African community through beer. Camp invited Malope to collaborate with her on the Goddess Series, and Malope quickly hopped on the offer. 

Malope is a documentary filmmaker, brewer and founder of Beer is Art, which is an organization designed to help people in the South African community learn industry-related skills and have a healthier relationship with alcohol. Camp decided that a portion of the proceeds from all Mamogaswa beer sales would go towards Beer is Art.

Malope shared with Camp the traditional brewing styles of ales and lagers of the Tswana tribe and her community. Malope was the one who presented Camp with the idea to name the beer after Mamogaswa. 

“The only requirement, she said, was that it was a ‘tornado of flavor’ because Mamogaswa moves from river to river in the form of a tornado,” Camp said. “That’s why we wanted to get all of these South African flavors – the lime, the salt, the ginger, the coconut with the sorghum and corn – to really be this mess of flavors in your mouth that feels like a tornado.”

Over the years, different interpretations of Mamogaswa have evolved throughout the history of the Tswana tribe. Some believe she takes the form of a mermaid, some say she is half woman, half fish, but Malope knows her as half woman, half snake. 

Mamogaswa is believed to stay dormant in a dam or river, and the Tswana people must keep her happy by respecting the water and keeping it clean, otherwise she will move to another body of water in the form of a tornado, ripping the roofs off people’s homes.

Malope believes it is important that these stories of Mamogaswa are still shared with the children of the Tswana tribe today, as it teaches them to respect the land and water in return for safety. 

“There is a lot to learn from [Mamogaswa],” Malope said. “[Our ancestors] were teaching us not to burn our bridges – they were instilling those principles to us using this goddess.” 

Beer for South Africans was originally brewed and consumed for spiritual purposes. People drank at weddings and celebrations, during ceremonies, and when consulting with their ancestors. For these tribes, beer was always brewed by women; to respect the sacred practices of these women, men were not allowed to enter the room where the beer was being brewed, Malope said. 

“For many years, the grandmothers have always been making bojalwa ba setswana, a beer made from mielie meal – or ground corn – and sorghum,” Malope said. “Every family has to have a grandmother who is the only one who specializes in brewing the beer.”

Beer is Art addresses this tradition through education. Malope does not want her community to lose their connection to their ancestor’s brewing techniques.

“If you don’t know how to make the beer that was made by your own grandmothers – how are you going to know your DNA and roots when those people are gone?”

Angeline Gaolatlhe is a Tswana woman from Mafikeng, South Africa who has also observed her grandmother and ancestors brew beer as a sacred tradition throughout her life. Her family’s traditions were more ancestral than spiritual, so many of the ceremonies surrounding beer were with the intention to speak with their ancestors. 

Umqombothi is what the Zulu tribe and other people of South Africa call bojalwa ba setswana, the traditional South African beer. Gaolatlhe’s family will call upon their ancestors for guidance or to show respect through a ceremony that involves drinking and offering umqombothi. They also use umqombothi as a way to ask their ancestors for blessings on a special day.

Beer and brewing has a significant cultural impact on families in southern Africa, spanning across all different countries, tribes and communities. One thing, however, is common among all of them, and that is the matriarch of the family being the brewer who holds space for sacred moments through the traditional art of brewing and beer. 

Camp knew that in creating the Mamogaswa beer, she would need to honor the traditions of the past and cultures of today.

“The only requirement, [Malope] said, was that it was a ‘tornado of flavor’ because Mamogaswa moves from river to river in the form of a tornado,” Camp said. “That’s why we wanted to get all of these South African flavors – the lime, the salt, the ginger, the coconut with the sorghum and corn – to really be this mess of flavors in your mouth that feels like a tornado.” 

Camp was born and raised in the Midwest of the United States, so she is very familiar with tornadoes. She understands tornadoes as both a scary and spiritual experience because of the force of nature behind it. Camp believes that women represent a force of nature, not only within themselves, but in the beer industry as well.

“Mamogaswa is a female who is both life-bringing in the form of a river but so powerfully destructive when she takes the form of a tornado,” Camp said. “To me, that spoke of the respect that women deserve and the powerful lifegiving and destructive duality of womanhood, and to be able to bring that to a beer was a really cool challenge and an incredible honor.” 

The brewing process of the Mamogaswa beer was with the intention to give homage to the traditional styles of South African brewing. Camp used flake corn and sorghum in what is called a cereal mash. One thing that was important in this process was to make sure she reached gelatinization of the corn and sorghum to get the most out of those enzymes. From there, Camp added the blend straight into their pilsner malt and mashed as usual. She added lime and ginger to the boil to mimic tea, and also after brewing to pull out the flavors of fresh zest. Salt and coconut were added to bring about a hint of tropical flavors, while also creating a more delicate mouth feel. 

“Tasting this beer from start to finish, the flavors have changed dramatically,” Camp said. “Originally you could taste all the flavors individually, but now it is a true tornado of flavor where it’s all one big cyclone, and as you get to the ‘eye of the storm’ so to speak, you can pick out the individual flavors.”

The influence of women in beer is ingrained in not only the flavors, but the history of craft beer. Women have forged the way for home brewing, dating back to ancient times and cultures, engaging their love for their purpose of beer in each brew. As collaboration, tradition and a woman’s influence have all swirled together into one powerful tornado in beer culture, each of these aspects hold their own individual uniqueness that continues to inspire brewers today.