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WHO IS TERI FAHRENDORF?
Fahrendorf is a pioneering American brewer, industry advocate, and founder of the Pink Boots Society. Raised in a German-American family in Wisconsin, she developed an early interest in fermentation, starting with bread baking at age 10. Her curiosity about brewing was piqued by a church rummage sale find—a booklet titled How Beer is Made, which she discovered at age nine. This early exposure laid the groundwork for her future in brewing.
After earning a B.A. in Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire, Fahrendorf transitioned from a career in computer programming to brewing. In 1988, she completed a certificate in Brewing Technology at the Siebel Institute of Technology in Chicago, becoming the first woman elected Class President.
Fahrendorf began her professional brewing career in 1989 as Brewmaster at Golden Gate Brewing Company in Berkeley, California. Following a workplace injury, she moved to Triple Rock Brewing Company as Head Brewer (1989–1990) before relocating to Oregon to serve as Brewmaster at Steelhead Brewing Company in Eugene, a position she held from 1990 to 2007. At Steelhead, Fahrendorf helped expand the brewery’s operations and developed a reputation for brewing excellence, innovation, and professionalism.
In 2007, she left Steelhead to embark on a nationwide “Road Brewer” journey, visiting more than 70 breweries across the country. Inspired by the women brewers she met along the way—and the isolation some experienced—she founded the Pink Boots Society later that year. The non-profit organization—named for the pink rubber boots she wore during her travels—now supports women and non-binary individuals working in all sectors of the fermented and alcoholic beverage industry through scholarships, education, and community-building.
From 2009 to 2022, Fahrendorf served as the Malt Innovation Center Manager at Great Western Malting Company in Vancouver, Washington. In this role, she led a one-barrel nanobrewery designed to test new specialty malts and their impact on beer flavor. Reflecting on her tenure, Fahrendorf described the position as one she would be “jealous of” if she didn’t have it, highlighting her passion for malt innovation and collaboration within the industry.
Fahrendorf is widely recognized for her contributions to the craft brewing industry, including her early role in developing the West Coast-style IPA and her leadership as the first female craft-era Brewmaster in both California and Oregon. She has judged beer competitions nationally and internationally, served on several boards—including as the first female treasurer of the Oregon Brewers Guild—and published widely on brewing and professional development. In 2014, she received the Brewers Association Recognition Award for her impact on the industry.
After retiring from full-time brewing, Fahrendorf shifted focus to her ceramic arts business, Rain Dragon Studio, while remaining active in the beverage community as a mentor and volunteer coach for Pink Boots Society scholarship recipients. Her career reflects a sustained commitment to education, innovation, and expanding opportunities for underrepresented professionals in a traditionally male-dominated field.
- A 2014 oral history interview provides an in-depth narrative of her professional journey, the “road brewer” trip, and the founding of women-focused initiatives like the Pink Boots Society, Barley’s Angels, and International Women’s Collaboration Brew Day.
- A 2016 lecture to Oregon State University brewing students, “My Beer Career,” offers a summary of her work in California and Oregon and at the Great Western Malting Company.
WHAT’S IN THE COLLECTION?
The Teri Fahrendorf Papers document her career as a brewer and founder of the Pink Boots Society. The collection includes records from her professional work, publications, photographs, ephemera, born-digital materials, and web archives.
Fahrendorf’s work in breweries is detailed through manuals, recipes, and brewing notebooks from her time at Golden Gate Brewery, Triple Rock Brewery, and Steelhead Brewery. A key item is the comprehensive 1994 proposal she wrote to expand Steelhead’s operations, which secured her a promotion to manage all brewery locations. Fahrendorf’s homebrewing notebook is also included. An active member of professional organizations like the Master Brewers Association of the Americas, Fahrendorf delivered presentations on topics such as hiring, training, and brewpub management. A key professional achievement was her founding of the Pink Boots Society. This collection contains important early records, including correspondence and graphics from 2007-2013 that document the organization’s formation.
Ephemera from Fahrendorf’s career includes apparel, glassware, beer labels, drink tokens, and homebrewing color guides from beer festivals where she competed and judged.
The collection also includes publications, many of which feature Fahrendorf’s handwritten notes explaining their significance. These notes are presented in italics and labeled as “Note from TF.” These include articles she authored on technical brewing, features written about her, and five books that inspired her career. Notably, her copy of Brewed in the Pacific Northwest by Gary and Gloria Meier includes a note where she asserts her role in pioneering the West Coast-style IPA.
Photographs are arranged chronologically and thematically, documenting her personal life, professional milestones, and travels. They capture her education at the Siebel Institute, her recovery from a serious burn injury, medal wins at the Great American Beer Festival, and her 2007 “Road Brewer” trip that led to the formation of the Pink Boots Society. Also included are extensive portraits of Pacific Northwest brewers taken for the Great Western Malting Company; images of personal projects, such as the renovation of the Brewmaster’s Cottage; a 2017 Pink Boots Society trip to Germany; and pictures from agricultural field days, brewery visits, conferences, and equipment.
The collection includes web archives of Fahrendorf’s online presence. Her personal website, terifahrendorf.com, contains her professional biography, technical brewing documents, and information on her ceramic arts through Rain Dragon Studio. Also included is the archive of her travel blog, “Road Brewer,” which provides a first-person account of her 2007 cross-country journey.
Content Warning: Digital Folder 2 contains photographs documenting the aftermath of a workplace burn injury. Some images may be distressing to viewers.
The digital folders are available upon request.
