This October, VinePair is celebrating our second annual American Beer Month. From beer style basics to unexpected trends (pickle beer, anyone?), to historical deep dives and new developments in package design, expect an exploration of all that’s happening in breweries and taprooms across the United States all month long.

I have been in love with the arts since before I could walk and my family and friends were always very supportive of my endeavors. I grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana and started in Musical theatre at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA) at the age of 14, where I majored in Musical Theatre.

So now that you’ve decided to enter the craft beer scene, where do you start? What style of beer should you try? How long should you grow your beard? Where’s the nearest Warby Parker? Where can you buy flannel in the springtime? How do you think of a punny Untappd name?

As long as I can remember I have always wanted to be a performer and entertainer. From the time I learned to walk I would line up all of my dolls and stuffed animals in front of our picnic table in our backyard and perform shows for them, that’s when my family new that I was going to be in the entertainment industry.

From the drinkers to the brewers, craft beer is a male-dominated industry, but there’s a growing number of women filling the seats at breweries and beer bars. In 2018, we also saw several female-focused beer festivals, from Beer With(out) Beards in New York City, SheBrew Beer Festival in Portland, Oregon, to FemAle BrewFest in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Fierce Ladies Beer Fest in Seattle.