Erica Unruh Says Yes To Herself
She’s putting herself forward so others can follow.
Before this month’s feature, a quick plea: Alex Kidd (a.k.a. Don’t Drink Beer, a.k.a. Malt Couture, a.k.a. an extremely funny and big-hearted beer personality) was suddenly and unexpectedly diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer that has spread to his liver and lungs. He’s not yet 40 and has a wife, young son, and baby on the way. If you have anything to spare to help his family get through this unimaginably difficult time and long road ahead, please consider donating to their GoFundMe.
Listen to this month’s intro:
As it is for many people, Erica Unruh’s journey into distilling was part family, part passion. But her path wasn’t straight—or short, for that matter. Despite a number of her family members already involved in homebrewing, malting, and distilling, it took her 13 years after graduating from college to shift from a career in college recreation to distilling. Today, she’s the head distiller at Barrel 21 Distillery; the first female distiller in Centre County, Pennsylvania; participant on the Discovery Channel show “Moonshiners: Master Distiller,” and rising star in the distilling world. On top of that, she’s a mom, a runner, and devoted animal lover. Let’s hear from Erica.
Normally, random Facebook messages from strangers don’t lead to pleasant conversations or happy endings. But for Erica, one such message ended up getting her on the Discovery Channel. “I thought maybe it was a scam,” she laughs. It only took a quick Google search for her to realize that it was a legitimate invitation to be on TV.
(I can—weirdly—relate to her disbelief. When I was 15, I received a voicemail on my parents’ landline from a Pacific Sunwear representative saying I won a trip to Hawai’i. Turns out, it was also not a scam, and led to a very cool eight-day vacation on O’ahu smack dab in the middle of a Virginia winter. It just goes to show that good things can—and do!—happen when we least expect them to.)
It took a year after Erica’s initial Zoom audition to get the official call. She had just a few weeks to put her life on hold and fly to Tennessee to appear on camera. “It was one of the craziest things I’ve ever done,” Erica says. But it was also one of the most rewarding, not just for her career. She describes working through immense amounts of anxiety in order to improve representation for women on a show and in an industry dominated by men.
“I knew if I didn’t do it, I’d regret it,” she says. And now that it’s behind her, she says it’s allowed her to look ahead more clearly and with less fear. That confidence is part of what led her to reach out to me and throw her name in the hat for Prohibitchin’.
(Note: please send me more nominations, including self-nominations! Put 👏 yourself 👏 forward, because most people won’t do it for you!)
The show may have helped Erica start to put herself forward a bit more, but for reasons other than personal glory. Distilling remains a man’s world, with only eight percent of distilleries owned by women across the United States. (Despite that low number, it’s better than some industries like beer, where women only own around two percent of U.S. breweries.) Erica says as the first female distiller in her county, it’s important for her to show other aspiring distillers that yes, women are already here and already working hard.
Even though distilling beats brewing in ownership numbers, she says craft beer’s culture seems to be moving ahead of distilling when it comes to conversations about diversity, equity, and inclusion. She points to initiatives like Brave Noise as opportunities for distillers to join the movement that beer is building.
“I’ve seen those brews come out and I’ve thought ‘How can we bring this to the distilling world?’” she says. “I feel like the distilling industry is behind the craft beer movement being more inclusive.”
Another part of the change she hopes to inspire is not just working as a woman, but as a parent. As a working mother, Erica says she is on call 24/7, even when she’s working at the distillery. She’s fortunate to have flexibility in terms of a schedule, but in an industry where women are in the minority, sometimes even obvious concessions linger on the backburner. She points to things like maternity leave and making pumping areas available as immediate needs few distilleries offer.
“As more females get into this industry, we need to look at ways that we can be better supported,” says Erica. “We shouldn’t have to choose between having a career in this and being a mom. We can do both.”
When the fight for acceptance and improvement starts to take its (inevitable) toll on mental and emotional health, Erica hones in on her physical health to stay balanced. “My mental health is better if I am physically active,” she explains. It hasn’t been easy or quick—it’s taken her nearly 40 years to figure out how to manage anxiety and stress through coping mechanisms like going for a run or hiking. But she says that talking about it is a huge help, and if it can help others as well, that’s success.
“If I'm successful, I am in a position that I enjoy, putting everything I can into it, giving 100 percent, doing the best that I can,” she says. “[But] I’ll always have room to grow. I think that I’ve been successful, and with more time I’ll continue to be.”
Follow Erica on Instagram at @distiller.ica or Barrel 21 Distillery at @barrel21distillery. Her appearance on Moonshiners: Master Distiller is coming soon.
What’s Going On
Pre-orders for The Beer Lover’s Guide to Cider: American Ciders for Craft Beer Fans to Explore are live! I think I end up with something like $3 for every book sold, so won’t you pick up a copy to help this poor ol’ freelancer buy ⅔ of a Cheesy Gordita Crunch?
I was also recently a guest on San Diego Magazine’s “Not A Parenting Podcast,” or the cleverly acronymed NAPP. Check it out to hear me and magazine co-owner/CEO/fellow mom Claire Johnson talk about being working moms, how to balance having kids and working in beverage alcohol, letting go of guilt, and why it’s okay if my kid never, ever rides a bike. (Seriously, it doesn’t matter.)
What I’m Consuming
Jury Duty on Freevee is as good as the critics say. 11/10 recommend watching. I also just finished re-reading the Wool series so I’m fully prepared to start watching Silo. That cast looks stacked.
What I’m Writing
I’ve got a couple goodies coming out in the next few weeks — new pieces for The Washington Post, SevenFifty Daily, and a couple Good Beer Hunting podcasts as well. 👀
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Do you know of a woman or non-binary person working in beverage alcohol who hasn’t seen the spotlight—and should? Nominate them for a future feature!
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