Cheers & Chat: How @DJsBeerCave Works for Her Beer
As the Work For Your Beer community continues to grow into new beer-centric cities across the U.S. (and all around the world!), we love getting to know the active beer-lovers that make up our wonderful, weird little niche section of the social media world — which is precisely why we started our new "Cheers & Chat" blog series.
With each post in this new series, you'll get to know some of the stellar people behind the craft beer Instagram accounts we love to follow, as well as what led them to become such an integral part of the craft beer community.
This month, we spoke with @djsbeercave out of Charlotte, NC. Deej keeps things interesting by having a few occupations: Social Media Manager at Devil's Logic Brewing, Flight Attendant, and small business owner (she runs two businesses: @djsartcave and @pawapproved)!
Work For Your Beer: So, Deej. We all want to know how your craft beer journey began. Give us the deets!
DJ: Honest answer? Complete fluke. My Instagram handle started as a joke with my vision of DJ being a dude living in his mom’s basement eating pizza with a barbecue stain on his mustard-colored shirt and a "no girls allowed" sign on the door. I would then make videos pretending to be DJ for all of my 200 followers at the time who thought what I was doing was very unfunny and weird. I decided to keep making the videos (because why not?) only to then take my social media seriously after a comment was made to me that I sucked at social media. Competitive much?
My account then grew and people confused me for a beerfluencer because I happened to drink a lot and had "beer" in my username. I had no complaints about this and decided to run with it, alas, the beginning of my craft beer journey.
WFYB: Do you remember what your "gateway beer" was? The first one you ever tried, that got you into all the rest?
DJ: The one that stands out the most for me is Dogfish Head’s Festina Peche sour. I can’t say that I’d call that "elite craft beer," but it sparked my love for sour beers. Divine Barrel was one of the earlier breweries I fell in love with in 2018 that probably helped push along my love of craft.
WFYB: So would you say that sours are your go-to beer style, then?
DJ: Yes! My go-to style is always a sour! Whether it’s a sour IPA, smoothie style, or just a classic gose, I’m all for it. One of my all-time favorites is Space Trash by Newgrass Brewing!
WFYB: Okay, we need to know: is there a beer style that you just can't really get into?
DJ: IPAs. I’m not calling it quits yet (love that competitive nature again…), but I have been trying for years and they just still aren’t hitting right for me.
WFYB: Let's shift gears a little bit and talk about breweries. What would you say is your favorite brewery in your area?
DJ: I may be biased (since I do the social media for them), but I love Devil’s Logic. I was a big fan before ever working at the brewery and have no plans of that mindset changing.
WFYB: What would you say is the coolest brewery that you ever visited?
DJ: Prairie in Tulsa, Oklahoma during Christmas time. They cover the ceiling in thousands of ornaments, and it is the coolest thing to see. Year-round? Eighth State. They have badass tap handles… I’m easy to please with artsy shit.
WFYB: What’s one brewery (or beer) on your bucket list?
DJ: Funkwerks in Fort Collins, Colorado. I don’t honestly know much about them but I’ve seen their stuff when traveling, and it’s always been a plan to eventually stop in.
WFYB: If someone asked you to do a beer share today, what would be the beers you’d put in your mixed pack to share with them?
DJ: In no particular order:
Space Trash by Newgrass Brewing
Hemmingway by Commonwealth Brewing Co.
Negative Flux Given by Newgrass Brewing
Order of Magnitude by Edmund's Oast Brewing Co.
Sundae Best by Bhramari Brewing Co. (I actually don’t like this beer at all, but I love watching people try it because it’s so weird)
Logical Duplicity by Devil’s Logic Brewing (a curveball for the mix because it’s one of the few beers other than a sour I actually like)
WFYB: What is your preferred way to Work For Your Beer?
DJ: Snowboarding, slacklining, or honestly anything that is outdoors and in the woods! That’s my cup of... beer?
WFYB: Since you’ve been a part of the craft beer community, how have you seen it change (for better or for worse)?
DJ: That’s an interesting question. I feel newer to the community having only jumped into it in 2018. However, since then, I have seen creativity be challenged in so many ways. Whether that’s beer styles and flavors, or just the content itself that breweries are putting out to draw attention.
Covid has brought an entirely different element, as well, with breweries really having to work for their customers because everyone is struggling at the moment. As a creative person, I love to see the changes, but I have heard a lot of feedback that people don’t like the direction craft beer is going at times. With any niche industry, though, you’ll always have people that don’t like to see the change. My opinion? I think change can be a great thing. At the end of the day sharing our passions with new people can be fun and exciting, so I’m here for it.
WFYB: What has your experience been like as a woman in the world of craft beer?
DJ: Woof, here’s the hard hitter. Honestly, the most difficult thing for me being a woman in the craft beer industry is being taken seriously in any context. I can’t tell you how many meetings I have been in where I am with men who won’t make eye contact with me because they don’t think my opinion is relevant or that I am not a ‘decision-maker’. Little do they know that I am actually a manager in my role and do have a fair amount of say on things we do.
Or you have the men that want to quiz you to make you ‘prove your worth' or knowledge in the industry, yet they don’t do that with the guys. This, of course, isn’t all men, and there are awesome guys in this industry; however if you’re reading this and feel attacked… Odds are you aren’t one of them.
WFYB: What advice would you give to someone considering getting involved in the craft beer community?
DJ: Just go for it! In any niche, there will be gate keeping and people that may judge you for not knowing everything immediately. But on the flip side, there are people that are truly happy to help someone interested in learning about something they love. Not only that but there are so many different aspects to the craft beer industry that you don’t have to be limited to one thing. You could be a brewer, a bartender, a marketing or social media manager. As long as you dedicate yourself to learning you can do amazing things in the industry! Also Youtube.
WFYB: Okay, final question: why do you love the Work For Your Beer community?
DJ: I absolutely LOVE the WFYB community because it’s welcoming to everyone. Whether you are a beginner drinker or yogi to the most advanced fire-breather around you will be welcome in this community.
They are all about women empowerment, equality, and living a healthy and balanced life. A lot of fitness-based companies try to discourage alcohol as such a bad thing for you and your fitness goals when in reality we are all human, and if we want to have a beer after a long day at work it’s nice to not be shamed for it. Instead, WFYB provides you the resources to have that beer and live your healthiest lifestyle that works for you. Not to mention Mel and Alicia are the shit and just incredible humans all around. They are the MVPs of friends.
WFYB: *We are blushing HARD here*
Thank you to DJ for taking the time to share her story with us here on the Work For Your Beer blog — and cheers to even more opportunities to chat with incredible members of the craft beer community!
Want to be considered for an upcoming feature? Email cheers@workforyourbeer.com to set up an interview!