Photo by Ed Murray | NJ Advance Media

By Rebecca Everett | For NJ.com

If the terms 'brewery owner' or 'head brewer' have you picturing a guy with a big beard, think again.

Women are holding their own in the craft beer industry — though they're still definitely in the minority — and the Garden State is no exception.

According to the Brewers Association, a national trade group, women make up about 25 percent of those who describe themselves as weekly craft beer drinkers.

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The Garden State Craft Brewers Guild provided us a list of New Jersey breweries with women in leadership roles — like owner, partner or brewer.

We reached out to the women who are putting delicious beer in your glass to see how they got where they are — and perhaps just as importantly, what they're drinking.

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Torie Fisher (left), 32, of Backward Flag Brewing Co., Forked River

Job title: Founder

Year the brewery opened: 2015

What got you into brewing? A friend who had a side business teaching home brewing taught me. It started as a hobby that got out of control.

What makes the brewery unique? I am certain we are the only female veteran-owned brewery in the country. We also are pending a 501C [status] and will be using the brewery to help veterans transition from the military into a career in the brewing industry.

Tell us something interesting about yourself: Before joining the Army my life dream was to be a photojournalist and work for Time magazine.

What's your favorite beer that you don't brew yourself?Left Hand's Milk Stout on Nitro is by far my favorite beer to relax with at the end of a night. Or pretty much any complex Sour.

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Melinda Gulsever (right), 28, of Backward Flag Brewing Co., Forked River

Job title: Head brewer

Year the brewery opened: 2015

What got you into brewing? I was helping out at the brewery when the brewer at the time quit so I stepped in and self taught with the guidance of Torie.

What makes the brewery unique? The brewery isn't focused on mass producing beer. The brewery mostly focuses on community and helping veterans.

Tell us something interesting about yourself: I have an odd guilty pleasure of Disney movies and musicals.

What's your favorite beer that you don't brew yourself? Neshaminy Creek Highwater Hefeweizen, or any hefeweizen really.

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Cindy DeRama, 35, of Twin Elephant Brewing Co., Chatham

Job title: Co-owner, managing business operations, with my husband, Tim Besecker, and friend, Scott McLuskey.

Year the brewery opened: 2016

What got you into brewing? I got into homebrewing through my roommate after college. Tim and I started dating — he was already home brewing with Scott — then Tim and I moved in together and ended up giving up the dining room to fermenting and storing beer. I also just have an innate interest in the brewing, learning the techniques and science.

What makes the brewery unique? We focus our model on being small batch and having the flexibility to use interesting ingredients and brew many different styles. With all of us visiting breweries all over the country and in Europe, what the three of us were really inspired by was how local breweries really support the local towns and vice versa.

Tell us something interesting about yourself: I can be a "Jill of all trades" and am always down to learn new things. I've worked designing and implementing industrial control systems, decorating specialty cakes, doing freelance photography, and doing project management and marketing for a global company that manufactured electronic grade solder.

What's your favorite beer that you don't brew yourself? I can't really pick a favorite but after a recent trip to Stowe, Vt., Focal Banger from The Alchemist fresh on tap at the brewery really wowed me and my heart did sink a little when all our cans were finished. As for a beer I can drink at any time, I'd say a tie between Stone Go To IPA or Founders All Day IPA and recently Trillium's Fort Point whenever we can get our hands on it.

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Gretchen Schmidhausler of Little Dog Brewing Co., Neptune City

Job title: Owner/Brewer

Year the brewery opened: 2014

What got you into brewing? I've always enjoyed good beer. I received a homebrewing kit in the early 1990s - and I was hooked. I'm a graduate of the American Brewers Guild and have been brewing professionally since 1996.

What makes the brewery unique? I consider Little Dog a boutique brewery; the tasting room offers a friendly and intimate atmosphere with an emphasis on customer experience. My beers are extremely drinkable, well-crafted and brewed in small batches. Of course, our mascot, a Basenji dog named Quincy, has given the brewery a real personality.

Tell us something interesting about yourself: My first career was as a journalist working for New Jersey newspapers. I've written a book, "Making Craft Beer at Home," published in 2014.

What's your favorite beer that you don't brew yourself? I always have Sierra Nevada Pale Ale or an IPA in the fridge, along with some other favorite styles.

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Abbie Galie, 35, of Lower Forge Brewery, Medford

Job title: Owner, creative and operations manager. My husband Sean and mother-in-law Pola are the other two owners. I handle what I consider the "fun stuff:" art, interior decor, branding, advertising, signage, logo. If it's creative or artistic it is in my wheelhouse.

Year the brewery opened: 2016

What got you into brewing? Years ago, I bought Sean a one gallon all-grain homebrew setup for Christmas. I thought he'd enjoy being creative in the kitchen, he mentioned he missed that when our cafe closed. Little did I know what I was setting in motion with that purchase.

What makes the brewery unique? The Artery at Lower Forge, an art incubator above our brewery that hosts artist studios. Through the Artery we advocate artist exposure exhibits, and musical events at the brewery.

Tell us something interesting about yourself. Music is in my brain and paint in my veins! I'm a cellist with the South Jersey Pops orchestra, and a professional artist and art advocate known as "Original Abbie."

What's your favorite beer that you don't brew yourself? 21st Amendment's Hell or High Watermelon on a hot, summer day! Spellbound's Gingerbread Brown in the winter!

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Photo by Mark Yajcaji

Pola Galie, 64, of Lower Forge Brewery, Medford

Job title: Owner, vice president and assistant brewer. My son and daughter-in-law are the other two family owners.

Year the brewery opened: 2016

What got you into brewing? My son, Sean, was in the planning stages of the brewery and I asked him how things were going. He told me that he did not have enough time to brew sufficient beer to give potential investors, so they could share it with their friends... I told him, "I can cook!" We started brewing together so he could teach me and then I was off and running on my own.

What makes the brewery unique? Our family focus is a bit different. We are a son-mother brewing team while Sean's wife, Abbie, handles the ARTery at Lower Forge, as well as retail and marketing management. We try to keep the atmosphere family-friendly while still maintaining a professional brewing presence.

Tell us something interesting about yourself: I am a basket and fiber weaver, enjoy traditional archery and am a beekeeper. Since becoming a beekeeper seven years ago, I find that it crosses all the lines of the things that I enjoy – hands on, productive and in some small way, I feel like I am part of the "solution" because bees are so important to our everyday life. I have even been able to incorporate my bees' honey into our brews.

What's your favorite beer that you don't brew yourself? Founders All Day IPA

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Megan Myers, (left), 33, & Emily Barnes, 26, of Human Village Brewing, Pitman

Job titles: Co-owners with spouses Richard Myers and Philip Barnes. The business is majority woman-owned.

Year the brewery opened: 2016

What got you into brewing? We began as homebrewers brewing together as families. We enjoyed developing recipes and collaborating, and it was a great way to spend an afternoon together. We also enjoyed touring breweries together as friends. It was an idea that took on its own life as the hobby became more of a passion project.

What makes the brewery unique? We strive for a lot of subtlety in what we produce, balancing flavors and trying to keep the focus true to style. As an independent nano brewery, we have a lot of freedom to produce small batches of lesser known beer styles or unique recipes made to be enjoyed straight from the taps. Our brewery itself has some history as it was the home of a local icon, the Bus Stop Music Café, and we're keeping that great vibe going in our taproom.

Something interesting about Emily: I'm originally from Los Angeles, California.

Something interesting about Megan: My degree is in International Studies/Diplomacy. I have had a number of very random jobs overseas. I once worked in a factory assembling plumbing valves, and I worked on a speechwriting team for the Crown Prince of Jordan.

What's your favorite beer that you don't brew yourself? For Megan, Monks Café Flemish Sour Ale. For Emily, Blue Point Mosaic or Allagash White Wit.

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Gayle D'Abate, 48, of Tomfoolery Brewing Co., Hammonton

Job title at the brewery: Co-Owner and brewer. My husband, Shawn Grigus, is a co-owner and also brews.

Year the brewery opened: 2015.

What got you into brewing? I have always had a preference for flavorful beer. My husband is a home brewer and owned a home brew supply shop, Tap It Homebrew, in Egg Harbor City. He taught me how to brew beer that was better than what I could get at the store, and that's all it took for me to be hooked.

What makes the brewery unique? We are passionate about great tasting, high-quality beer. We have the expertise to brew excellent examples of many different styles, plus we make a different 5-gallon batch each week so there is always something different to try in our tasting room.

Tell us something interesting about yourself: For years I played bass guitar in a big band that played classic swing and jazz tunes. After that ended, I played bass and keyboards for several rock cover bands.

What's your favorite beer that you don't brew yourself? That's a tough one since it kind of depends on my mood and circumstances, but I really enjoy Duet by Alpine Beer Company.

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Jenifer Simmons, 39, of Glasstown Brewing Co., Millville

Job title at the brewery: Co-owner with my husband, Paul Simmons.

Year the brewery opened: 2013

What got you into brewing? After years of homebrewing, my husband and I decided to take a leap of faith with our experience in the food & beverage industries and opened our own brewery. We wanted something we could be passionate about doing as a profession. We certainly are passionate about the beer we make and the people who visit our brewery. Owning our own business has been really rewarding and exciting.

What makes the brewery unique? We focus on small batches and are pretty IPA centric.

Tell us something interesting about yourself: I went to school in San Francisco for a while to study film before returning back to the East Coast and finishing my degree in communications.

What's your favorite beer that you don't brew yourself? I tend to like IPAs and there are a lot of really great East Coast IPAs out there from some really great breweries like Trillium, Tired Hands, Alchemist, etc. I remember visiting Oskar Blues in North Carolina and liking their Barrel Aged G'Knight Imperial Red IPA.

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Photo by Joe Warner | For NJ Advance Media

Kathy Abate of Devil's Creek Brewery, Collingswood

Job title: I'm a co-owner with my husband, Anthony Abate. My official title is director of sales and marketing, but I also beertend and brew.

Year the brewery opened: 2016

How did you get into brewing? My husband has been homebrewing for over 20 years and he taught me how to homebrew on our kitchen stove. We entered multiple competitions, sometimes with the same beer and sometimes separately. We're very competitive but in a fun way!

What makes the brewery unique? Our brewery produces a lot of untraditional beers. When we're formulating a recipe, we try to keep our immediate audience in mind. We've found that they really respond to tasting new and unusual beers. I personally like to create beers that I think women would like to drink, like our Caramel Apple Brown and our Pecan Swirl.

Tell us something interesting about yourself: I was a graphic designer and a freelance writer for most of my working life. Luckily, since I enjoy using those skills, I can still incorporate them into brewery operations.

What's your favorite beer that you don't brew yourself? I love Southern Tier's Blackwater Series and The Bruery's Mash & Vanilla. There are really too many to name.

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Jacqui Town, 31, of Rinn Duin Brewing, Toms River

Job title: Co-founder, with my father, Chip Town.

Year the brewery opened: 2014

What got you into brewing? My dad and I homebrewed together for about five years (he started solo back in 1996) with aspirations to open a brewery one day. In the summer of 2011, we both lost our jobs and decided to write a business plan. Two and a half years later, Rinn Duin opened in Toms River.

What makes the brewery unique? Rinn Duin focuses on malt forward UK-style ales, inspired by our family's Irish heritage. We recently started using the phrase "comfort beer" to describe our products; beer that makes you feel happy and warm an' fuzzy inside, kind of like Grandma's apple pie and mac & cheese.

Tell us something interesting about yourself: My original college major was chemistry — I wanted to be a forensic scientist. After sophomore year I switched to business and the rest is history.

What's your favorite beer that you don't brew yourself? I love stouts and porters, they're my go-to style. I can't say I have a favorite, but I'll always order one from a N.J. brewery if it's on the menu.

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Aud Ragle, 28, of Carton Brewing Co., Atlantic Highlands

Job title: Brewing scientist

Year the brewery opened: 2011

What got you into brewing? I was introduced to homebrewing in college when some graduate student friends brewed a batch of beer on an apartment's stovetop. The fascination with brewing followed me home after I graduated in 2011. I started with Carton as a tour guide in early 2013.

What makes the brewery unique? Carton enjoys doing things differently. To continue to produce distinct and quality brews, it's important to be creative and resourceful in all of our approaches. Balancing new approaches to brewing with tested quality control brewing science is my role. For instance I use our sous vide [that] Augie plays some of his flavor games on as a water bath to liquefy media for micro checks as part of our quality program.

Tell us something interesting about yourself: I collect retro video game consoles and games with a special attention to Nintendo Gameboys. Relatedly, I'm a Pokémon Master.

What's your favorite beer that you don't brew yourself? My favorite beer changes all the time. Availability is a great influencer. Now that N.J. finally gets it, Westbrook Gose is my current go-to.

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Photo by Paul Hudrick

Robin Tama, 60, of Flying Fish Brewing Co., Somerdale

Job title: Partner and tasting room manager

Year the brewery opened: 1995

What got you into brewing? Love of craft beer and a lack (at that time) of good craft beer.

What about the brewery is unique? We are passionate about well-crafted beers with a creative side. Our "Exit Series" really took traditional beer styles to another level while paying homage to our local communities.

Tell us something interesting about yourself: I was a Mr. Softee ice cream truck driver in college.

What's your favorite beer that you don't brew yourself? To quote my partner Gene Muller, "the one in my hand."

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Jamie Queli, 33, of Forgotten Boardwalk Brewing, Cherry Hill

Job title: CEO

Year the brewery opened: 2014

What got you into brewing? I started to homebrew close to ten years ago and brewing quickly became a passion. I finally decided to take the leap into the professional industry but my focus within the company has been geared more to strategic management and less hands-on brewing.

What makes the brewery unique? Forgotten Boardwalk aims to be raconteurs and telling unique tales about our state's history, not just with the liquid but with our branding and artwork. If you visit the tasting room, you will find yourself immersed in an old-time boardwalk that is complete with antiques, fun house mirrors, a spin wheel and skeeball machines.

Tell us something interesting about yourself: I am formerly a semi-professional musician. I still play for fun, but I have played on stages as small as the Saint in Asbury Park and as big as Madison Square Garden in NYC.

What's your favorite beer that you don't brew yourself? Dogfish Head Festina Peche

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Selina Pewitt, 54, of Wet Ticket Brewing, Rahway

Job title: Co-owner, tasting room manager and events coordinator. The other co-owners are my husband, Tim Pewitt, and our partner, Alex Povalski.

Year the brewery opened: 2016

How did you get into brewing? My husband has been a homebrewer for 25+ years. Now that he is brewing on a large scale, I have little to no involvement in the brewing process other than taste testing....my favorite job!

What makes the brewery unique? Our brewery name is Wet Ticket, which came from the time of the repeal of prohibition. The party wanting to repeal prohibition ran as the "Wet Ticket" versus those who wanted to keep prohibition running as the "Dry Ticket."

Most weeks, we offer a small batch (10 gallons) on what we call the "Test Ticket;" If customers speak positively about the beer, large production of the beer usually goes on the schedule for the future.

Tell us something interesting about yourself: I have been in education for 27 years beginning as a high school math teacher and now as a school administrator. I grew up in Georgia and moved to N.J. in 2006. I have three boys and one granddaughter, Raleigh, who was just born in March.

What's your favorite beer you don't brew yourself? I didn't brew it but Tim did: Watermelon Wheat, which we will have on tap Memorial Day weekend. I was involved in that I helped juice 51 watermelons for this beer!

Favorite beer not brewed by Wet Ticket: Abita Purple Haze.

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Jennifer Gilmartin, 42, of Asbury Park Brewery, Asbury Park

Job title: Operations Manager

Year the brewery got started: 2016

What got you into brewing? My brother! He has always had a passion for beer and has experimented in home brewing for years. He has taught me everything I know! When he started Asbury Park Brewery, he asked me to be a part of it and I was excited to take my knowledge of running a business and apply it to the business of making beer.

What makes the brewery unique? I think the thing that is most unique about Asbury Park Brewery is that the city of Asbury Park is at the heart of what we do. We are a group of people bonded by a love of music and a love of beer. There are several musicians involved in the brewery, including my brother, who have been playing music in this town for years. We are soulful, we are gritty, and we aim to focus on making beers that are uncomplicated and high quality.

Tell us something interesting about yourself: Before I had my 4 kids, I worked as an editor at the Wall Street Journal, right across the street from the World Trade Center. On 9/11, I was home on maternity leave with my oldest. I decided not to go back to NYC for work then and started working for my father's company, which was local. That was medical products. Beer is way more fun.

What's your favorite beer that you don't brew yourself? There are so many great beers out there, and with the world of craft beers expanding every day, I am constantly trying new stuff that I love. Right now I am loving 21st Amendment Hell or High Watermelon. Great on a hot day!

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Heide Hassing, 42, of Angry Erik Brewing, Lafayette

Job title: Head brewer, chief of operations and co-owner with my husband, Erik Hassing.

Year the brewery opened: 2014

What got you into brewing? We got into brewing because Erik and I LOVE beer! Eighteen years ago, while we were living in Manhattan, we took a trip to Easton, Pa. and visited Weyerbacher. We were blown away by the flavors in their brews and when we went back to NYC tried to find something as flavorful. Sadly, we could not, so we started brewing on our own.

What makes the brewery unique?

Angry Erik Brewing features unique culinary flavors with natural ingredients like Mary Shroom: a Mushroom-Rosemary Saison and Santa Lucia: a Belgian-style Golden Ale with Saffron, Lemon & Honey! Having worked in the culinary world previously, many of my recipe inspirations come directly from food experiences that I have adapted to work in beer. The names of our brewery and many of our beers reflect our personal experiences including: Norwegian ancestry, local community events/history, and of course, Erik's nickname as a prosecutor in the Bronx: "Angry Erik."

Tell us something interesting about yourself:

Each experience in my life has helped to build who I am today. Growing up in rural Maine, then assimilating to "city life" in N.Y. and N.J., getting a graduate degree in biochemistry at Cornell Medical, being a restaurant manager and a culinary student in NYC, losing my eyesight to retinopathy and all the struggles on the path to regaining vision, ultimately all contributed important experiences that led up to being a Head brewer/brewery owner today!

What's your favorite beer you don't brew yourself? As a woman who is motivated by new ideas, I refuse to spend life inside a box. My favorite beer is truly the one I haven't yet tried. Part of the amazing thing that the craft beer industry has introduced is a seemingly endless variety of flavor combinations. That is heaven.

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Amanda Cardinali, 28, of Tuckahoe Brewing, Egg Harbor Township

Job title: Brewer

Year the brewery opened: 2011

How did you get into brewing? I started homebrewing in college with my boyfriend Sean. Our first batch was brewed for Christmas presents for our families. After that, I was hooked, and have been brewing ever since.

What makes the brewery unique? I believe that Tuckahoe is unique because of its wide range of available styles. I am interested in the complexities of sour beer production, and I have been lucky that they let me start a small sour program at the brewery. The brewery started with attracting the masses at mind, so the beer that was always available were good stepping stones for a new craft beer drinker. Now, we more regularly offer anything from an American Pale Ale, to a mixed ferment, barrel fermented, blended Saison.

Tell us something interesting about yourself: Since moving down to South Jersey from Sussex County I have become enthralled with shark fishing. Every summer, Sean and I spend countless nights out on the beach, surf rod spiked up. It is such an exciting experience fighting such a strong and beautiful animal.

What's your favorite beer you don't brew yourself? One of my favorite styles is saison. Some of my favorites include Anna from Hill Farmstead, and Saison Du Blé from Side Project. I also have a deep admiration for spontaneous fermented beer. Allagash Resurgam, Jester King Spon, and Cantillon Fou Foune, just to name a few, are beers that continue to inspire me, as well as remind me why I do what I do.

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Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook.