Aly Hartwig has gone from engineering student to beertender to assistant brewer at Pikes Peak Brewing Co. in Monument. And all in about three years.

She’s one of two professional female brewers in Colorado Springs and at 24, the youngest. She founded the first beer group for women in the Pikes Peak region, Brewers Broads, and was the creator and organizer of the first and wildly successful Colorado Springs Craft Week in May. In an industry where the term “brewer” often conjures images of bushy-bearded men sifting through barley grains and hops, Hartwig’s youth and passion for the craft beer community is refreshing.

“My biggest hope is to bring in more women to the (craft beer) industry and to the community,” Hartwig said as she sipped a freshly drip-brewed cup of java from a local coffee shop in downtown Colorado Springs. Hartwig is all about supporting local businesses, drinking local beer and discovering local talent. She believes in the potential of local craft brewers and champions for more growth and new businesses.

Originally from Grand Island, Neb., Hartwig said she found the small-town family feel she grew up with when she went to her first beer festival in the summer of 2012.

“The beer festival was the best thing ever. I loved every minute of it,” Hartwig said. “Everyone I met was friendly and welcoming. I was so pumped and I knew right away that I had to get a job in the beer business. So I took my resume to every brewery and beer bar in town, until Brewer’s Republic gave me a chance.”

Already a fan of home brewing with friends in Fort Collins and Colorado Springs, and with her exposure to a huge variety of microbrews as a beertender at Brewer’s Republic, Hartwig decided to make beer her life’s work. She immediately started networking and launched Brewers Broads, a monthly meeting for women who like to drink and brew beer.

“The group grew quickly and right now we have about 200 members. I’ve met so many awesome women and made great friends because of Brewers Broads,” Hartwig said. “Just the educational side of the group is really fantastic, because we all learn something new every time we meet up.”

Hartwig is aware that she has a lot to learn about craft beer and she takes her education seriously, especially because she’s young. Shortly after starting Brewers Broads, she attended the Siebel Institute in Chicago and completed the Master of Beer Styles and Evaluation Course in April of 2013.

Things really took off when Chris Wright, owner of Pikes Peak Brewing Co., offered her a position as an assistant brewer, which Hartwig called her dream job. She began working with Wright and managed the Focus on the Beer blog during the summer and fall of 2013.

In April, Hartwig was the recipient of a scholarship from the Pink Boots Society, an Oregon-based organization created to advance female beer professionals’ careers in the industry through education. With the scholarship, she’s about to complete a three-month course through the Siebel Institute in brewing technology, which she said is a critical part of her growth as a brewer.

As if brewing, studying and running a beer group wasn’t enough, Hartwig created and coordinated the inaugural Colorado Springs Craft Week, a May event that brought together 65 food and drink vendors from across the Pikes Peak region, including 11 breweries, and culminated in a sold-out signature event at Venue 515 in Manitou Springs.

“I’m really invested in this community, and I am just as excited being a part of it as I am to watch it grow and succeed,” Hartwig said. “There are all these breweries opening in Colorado Springs and some of them are getting crazy success. It’s like a great big show, I’m just happy to be along for the ride.”

For more info, check out Brewers Broads on Facebook at facebook.com/csbrewers broads.

Aly Hartwig is a brewer at Pikes Peak Brewing Company in Monument. Thursday, June 19, 2014.(The Gazette/Jerilee Bennett)

Andrea Sinclair Monday, December 30, 2013. Photo by Mark Reis, The Gazette

MARK REIS, THE GAZETTE