Central Texas has a distinct and growing beer culture and women are not only present in every aspect of it from brewers, distributors to consumers; they are also well-respected leaders shaping the craft beer culture. Our Women in Beer series highlights the women in our community shaping the beer scene including members of the Austin chapter of the Pink Boots Society. This edition features Amanda Trimm, Co-owner of Barking Armadillo in Georgetown, Texas.
Describe your average week. What are you responsible for?
My role is mainly running the social media and other miscellaneous duties including, but not limited to – making the graphics, planning the schedule, posts, and emails to our mailing list, responding to emails, ordering merch, updating Untappd and our website. Also, does providing moral support for Jacob count as a responsibility?
What’s your favorite part of your job?
Trying lots of different beers, of course! In all seriousness, it’s been getting to be a part of the community in a way that we have never immersed ourselves before. Georgetown is a small world despite being a rapidly growing city, and getting to meet other small business owners, neighbors, artists, etc. has been great.
What challenges have you faced in this or previous roles in the beer industry?
Trying to essentially start from scratch, with no marketing or social media skills background. When we were planning to open the brewery, I thought I would make all these things happen, and have realized how much time and energy gets invested. I’m still learning as I go and having fun with it!
How long have you been working in the beer industry? What did you do before this role?
I had never worked in the beer industry prior to opening Barking Armadillo. I was, and still am, working my day job as a pharmacist.
If someone asked you to describe the current state of today’s craft beer climate what would you say?
Booming! There are so many breweries opening left and right, so much experimentation with styles of beer with a huge variety of ingredients, it’s pretty exciting to be in the momentum. Right now, anything goes…craft beer really is for EVERYONE. That being said, it’s also evolving with the rest of the world in terms of social change and inclusivity.
Is there anything else you want people to know about you, your company, and/or the industry as a whole?
Just that we’re here and serving beer! Come visit us and make a Georgetown day trip out of it! We have taproom events such as trivia every Thursday, live music on the weekends, and rotating food trucks. We are a small, family-owned operation, with just three owners and five staff, so the crew really gets to know the locals.
Has Pink Boots played a role in your career? If so, how?
I’ve only been a member since after the pandemic began, and haven’t been able to make more than a few meetings, but I’ve been introduced to some inspiring ladies in the industry. I’m impressed by the diversity of roles and wealth of knowledge of the women I’ve met through the group.
What question(s) are you tired of answering/getting asked?
Do y’all have Miller Lite on tap?
What beer are you currently enjoying the most?
I am so non-committal to any one beer because there are too many good beers out there. Out of our currently available beers, I’m enjoying our Odin Hazy DIPA – it was the 3rd beer of our Viking series after Freya (hazy pale ale) and Ragnar (IPA) all using the same Norweigian Kveik yeast. From outside our brewery, I recently tried and really enjoyed Rentsch’s Cryo Therapy IPA – crisp, smooth, and lots of juicy citrus.
