Emma - Biere ohne Bart

It is not unusual for a woman to be beardless. Being beardless as a craft beer brewer, on the other hand, is almost an endangered rarity. In the hipster-heavy world of craft beer, you can hardly see a face that isn't adorned with a magnificent beard, usually a full beard. Whether that's because of the beer or the trend is anyone's guess. The fact is, however, that Almut Zinn, the woman behind the extremely successful label Emma - Beers without a Beard, definitely doesn't have a beard. And not only does this set her apart from the bearded masses, she also makes exceptionally good beer.

Today I bake, tomorrow I brew

Thank heavens that not only the DIY trend has swept over Germany like a monstrous tidal wave from the USA, but also the craft beer movement. Almut Zinn discovered both for herself and saw homebrew as the ideal opportunity to combine her newfound passion for beer with that for making things herself. On a trip through the States she met a homebrewer and his beer and was hooked. She didn't realize until now that you can not only make cheese, bread or patchwork blankets yourself, but also beer. For Almut, beer was always something that required beer brewing equipment at a higher cost. The lady was all the more pleased when she tried brewing for the first time in her own kitchen. Their guinea pigs less so, but after lots and lots of practice, Almut's friends fought over their creations. Today, beers like Kuckucksrot or Salto Orale from the Emma label – beers without a beard have become an integral part of the craft beer scene. By the way, their Mexican Standoff Stout was created in collaboration with Freigeist Bierkultur and the Freiburg brewing collective - a successful collaboration between bearded and unbearded people

From teaching to brewing

Almut is actually a teacher. But that doesn't stop the power woman from doing anything. Nor did the many voices that wanted to protect them from their impending independence and bring them back to the safe nest of officialdom. Almut fights, not with others, but above all with herself. Before she gives up her teaching job in 2016 and swaps Blagen for hops, she first has to figure out the meaning of life for herself. One thing is clear: the Bavarian likes to create things with her hands. And after the first more or less successful home brewing attempts, she created the first really passable beers. Passable beers that are far too good not to be made available to the general public. Almut makes a decision and Emma is born. Then a Zapotopaz !