Welcome back to Cheers with Nat – the podcast dedicated to cheering on women in drinks.

Last week, you heard from Amélie, the founder of the Women in Beer mentorship programme. This week, you're going to hear from one of the mentees!

Today's guest is Elizabeth Townsend, co-owner of Kerroo Brewing Company.

Elizabeth shares how she went from studying music at university to opening a brewery with her partner, taking us through her portfolio career and how it gave her the confidence to do what she does today.

We also discuss how her role in the business is evolving, how she stays grounded outside of work, the life changing network she's grateful to be part of, and more.

What stuck with me from this conversation:

On portfolio careers: "I've had quite a portfolio career. Some might say I haven't stuck at things for very long. But I like to think of it as just doing different jobs, I pick up different skills – it's made it possible to do what I do now."

On working with her partner: "We have complementary skills that work together and mean that I can do all the logistics and the sales and the PR and that kinda thing, and he brews the beer and absolutely nails that…. and I think running a business is something I'm good at. Can I say that?"

On an early inspiration: "My parents would never talk me out of anything. They'd give me their opinion, and I might take it or I might not take it. But I appreciated that they also took risks and I saw that… I've never actually thought about that before. But ya, I think that's what it was."

On learnings from her time at Decca Records: "I had to learn how to stay calm under pressure, make sure that I had an awareness of what was going on. You know that feeling when you get overwhelmed and you start to panic and you can't think straight. That was really good training of just being like, 'No, things will work out. Just think straight and you'll be fine.' And I think over the last couple of years I've gone, 'I literally don't know what do to here.' But it's having faith in yourself that you will figure something out."

On the importance of passion: "Everything that I've done in my career so far has been something that I've wanted to do. And it's been interesting. And I think having an interest in what you do is really important."

On the Women in Beer mentorship programme: "Having the Women in Beer network has been life changing for me in that it's given me the ability to see other people doing the things I'm doing."

Links & things:

What we're drinking:

Kerroo x Colbier Aranne Mountain IPA

Elizabeth & Nick's brewery:

Kerroo Brewing Company

Where she worked before:

Decca Records
One of her best pieces of work there:
- Sheku Kanneh Mason in GQ
- Listen here

Podcast recc:

Pellicle podcast:
- Ep85 — How Thornbridge Saved The Burton Union
- (Nat's addition: Ep80 — Nick Scarffe and Elizabeth Townsend of Kerroo Brewing)

Ep 8 – Elizabeth Townsend: Brewery owner, teacher, and travel lover