Believe it or not, the beer buying team at Total Wine & More is an all-female group of beer enthusiasts! But please don’t judge their lack of beer bellies and stereotypical brewers’ beards. These ladies go out of their way to learn the ins-and-outs of what’s new in the craft beer industry. Whether they’re meeting with suppliers, scanning beer blogs and magazines or sampling the latest IPAs, Julie and Hilary work hard to bring the most popular beers and best prices to Total Wine’s shelves.

March 8 is International Women’s Day. It is a day for women around the globe to recognize how far they’ve come in the equal rights movement and celebrate their accomplishments. To honor the occasion, we would like to feature our women beer buyers in a post about some of their favorite brews.

Julie is the Senior Beer Buyer at Total Wine & More and has been working at the company for over five years. Julie’s favorite beer would have to be Laughing Dog’s Sneaky Pete. The beer is an American Double/Imperial IPA that is sold in 4 packs and 22oz bottles. It is a hoppy, citrusy beer bursting with notes of grapefruit and just a touch of sweet malts for balance. Julie has a sentimental attachment to the beer as she actually met Sneaky Pete himself!

Hilary is the Sr. Buying Specialist on the beer team and has been working at the company for over two years. Not a huge fan of super hoppy beers, Hilary’s favorite styles include pilsners, witbiers and hefeweizens. Her favorite beer would have to be Abita’s Strawberry Harvest Lager, a spring/summer seasonal with a crisp, sweet taste. It is full of fruity flavors and has a finish reminiscent of strawberry shortcake.