Jing-A Launches New Beer “Half the Sky” for Women's Day
Jing-A are headed for International Women's Day this year with a limited edition beer created by an entirely female team. Dubbed "Half the Sky", the brew will be officially launched on Mar 8, with RMB 5 from every pint sold going to the Educating Girls of Rural China (EGRC) charity.
We reached out to the Jing-A team to find out more about the campaign and how they came up with the idea.
Q
How long has Jing-A been doing IWD campaigns for?
A
Jing-A has celebrated International Women’s Day since the brand’s early days, but in 2022 we made the decision to participate in a more meaningful way. Last year, we partnered with EGRC to raise money for their cause – ensuring girls from impoverished areas are given access to educational opportunities that can change the trajectory of their lives.
This Women’s Day, we’re building on that foundation to launch “Half the Sky” — a women-led initiative wherein our female team members created and brewed a beer that they felt represented themselves. This is a beer that celebrates equality for women of all walks of life, raises awareness of the issues women around the world still face, and breaks stereotypes around what a ”beer for women” looks like. Our partnership with EGRC continues this year as well, and RMB 5 from every pint of Half the Sky sold will be donated to EGRC.
One of the early brainstorming sessions for the IWD campaign
Q
Where did the idea for this year’s campaign come from?
A
The idea for “Half the Sky” was developed over several brainstorming sessions. The women on our team had discussions around beer, gender, feminism, and stereotypes. In the end, we concluded that the perfect Women’s Day beer is one which tastes so good that, pint after pint, people will continue these important conversations, all while sponsoring educational opportunities for the next generation of women.
The brewery team hard at work
Q
How long did it take to develop the new beer?
A
In the preliminary planning stages, we had a week or two of brainstorming, and then discussions with the brew team to refine and confirm the style and raw ingredients. After that, a group of our female team members went out to the brewery in person to brew it with the brew team. From brew house to keg, the timeline was close to a month.
Hooking up the new beer ready for testing
Q
Can you tell us a bit more about the name of the beer “Half the Sky”?
A
The Chinese name of this beer is "We" (“我们 wǒmen”), and its meaning is simple. "We" stands for inclusion regardless of gender, religion, age, or any other categories people use to create separation. This “We” represents us all coming together for a worthy cause.
The English name, “Half the Sky”, comes from a famous Chinese saying about women “holding up half the sky” and being just as important to contributing to society as men. The saying has accomplished what few historic statements about women have managed in that it remains relevant to this day!
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Q
Can you describe the beer and its flavors?
A
Half the Sky is a Red IPA. In China, the color red represents power and hope—key messages we want to convey through this initiative. Coffee beans from Yunnan and white thorn berries from Gansu are also featured. The end result is a multi-layered taste experience combining toffee, floral, citrus and berry flavors and aromas. We selected ingredients specifically from these regions because a large percentage of the students sponsored by EGRC are from Yunnan and Gansu. We also felt white thorn fruit has some poetic parallels as well — despite originating in harsh environments, it adapts, grows and still bears sweet, beautiful fruit.
The beer has tasting notes of toffee, fruity coffee and light berry
Q
When will the new beer be available and how long for?
A
Half the Sky will be available in all Jing-A Taprooms, as well as close to 100 bars and restaurants, across the country on Mar 8 -- International Women's Day. It’s a limited edition beer, so it’s only available until Mar 31.
Q
Can you explain where the idea for the art design came from, and what's the meaning behind the different hand gestures and faces?
A
The broad concept behind the Women’s Day visual (and the campaign generally) was to capture the diversity of female experience, to celebrate the experiences of women in under-represented roles, and to help foster the dreams of the next generation.
The main impressions our Art Director Becky Lane wanted to convey through the artwork was solidarity and pride. Solidarity with the struggles that women and girls around the world continue to battle. Pride in the rights and equalities we’ve secured.
We all use facial expressions and hand gestures to “read” one another. These glimpses into another person’s inner world can sometimes say more than words ever could. In this illustration, we wanted to invite the audience to interpret those messages for themselves.
Q
Why did Jing-A choose EGRC as the charity to donate to?
A
EGRC was started by Ms. Tian Qingqing in 2005 with the goal to subsidize education for girls in underprivileged areas of China. Since the organization was started, more than 1,700 girls have completed high school and university studies through the financial and moral support of EGRC. They have not only changed their own destiny through education, but have also had a profound impact on their families and hometowns. EGRC believes that education can change these girls’ destinies by giving them better options for their future. Ms. Tian Qingqing hopes that these rural girls can become the female leaders of tomorrow.
In this partnership with EGRC, we’re proud release Half the Sky, our Women's Day beer, in all Jing-A Taprooms and across the country with our partners. RMB 5 from every pint of Half the Sky sold will be donated to EGRC.
Half the Sky will be available in all Jing-A locations from Mar 8-31, RMB 5 from every pint of Half the Sky sold will be donated to EGRC.
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Images: courtesy of Jing-A and EGRC
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