Hill Farmstead (2021)

I only read one of the articles associated with this story. What was the allegation of sexual misconduct?

 

https://vinepair.com/articles/sexism-assault-beer-industry-ratmagnet/

Ctrl+f Shaun or scroll ~3/4 down

 

I think at least some of the silence or quiet is that there is a lot of digestion that is being done here. Shaun is for all practical purposes Hill Farmstead. Where it sounds like other people have been making the beer and making things happen at Tired Hands, Shaun is supposedly very involved in the day to day operations of HF. Him stepping away or taking time off would be hitting the pause button on HF. Should he step away? Can he learn and grow while still continuing day to day operations? What should we as consumers hold him accountable for? And how?

There are a lot of questions that will take time to answer.

 

Shaun does not have much involvement here either/anymore, aside from the “special projects”

 

Well, I stand corrected.

 

In focusing so much on some of the individual brewers, particularly the big names like Shaun Hill, I think we are getting away from the original point of Brienne’s post a bit, which wasn’t to call out specific people but to highlight that the industry in general is rampant with daily examples of sexist and unfair treatment of women, largely by customers in addition to coworkers and owners.

While that is clearly true and deserving of our strong condemnation, I do have some concern about the fairness of assuming the worst about specific people based on ultimately pretty thin evidence from anonymous posters. I don’t doubt that they experienced the things they are reporting, but some of the reports involve subjective interpretations of events we don’t have much context for, so their experience may or may not be objectively true. Certainly in cases with multiple accusations of a similar nature, my common sense would lead me to conclude they are likely (mostly) accurate. In Shaun’s case, however, the accusations do not seem to follow a similar pattern, and several are just examples of him being an arrogant dick, so I’m not quite ready to conclude the guy is a misogynist or “sexual predator” as he was called.

 

Brienne specifically called out Shaun Hill by name for his sexist comments about her at an industry event a couple years ago. She has said in media interviews that naming him is what opened the floodgates to other women sharing their experiences.

Also... at least one of the women anonymously called Hill a predator.

 

I did not see Brienne’s comments about that but would be interested to read them if you have a link.

Yes, I referenced the “predator” comment specifically, which was made anonymously by someone who claims to have seen him trying to take advantage of someone else. I’ll need more than that one unverified instance to conclude someone is a sexual predator, which is a pretty strong claim.

 

https://www.goodbeerhunting.com/sightlines/2021/5/18/beer-industry-allegations-legal-vulnerability

After Allan herself posted a story that read: “Shaun Hill [of Hill Farmstead Brewery] told his brewer he set up the couch in his Airbnb to fuck me on after [beer festival] Pils and Love two years ago,” people began sending her stories that named people in the beer industry and/or the brewery where they work. ...

“The second I did that [named Hill], it opened the floodgates to people calling other people out like, ‘You fucking did this to me,’” Allan tells GBH.

Just correcting any misimpression that all the allegations against Hill are anonymous and that Brienne Allan didn’t intend to call out individuals. The decision on whether or not to believe her and other women is obviously up to you.

 

Appreciate you sharing that. I had seen that comment but wasn’t aware it came from Brienne. I can certainly understand why she wouldn’t have liked hearing that from her brewer friend who relayed the second hand comment, since it sounds like the feeling wasn’t mutual.

But I’m sure you’d agree it’s basically a crude/gross comment not made in front of her, and doesn’t imply in any way that Shaun did or would have harassed, assaulted, or otherwise acted inappropriately with her. Sometimes dudes are attracted to girls and want to sleep with them, then talk about it with their buddies. Many girls do the same. It’s not assault and doesn’t make him a “predator”. I just think we need to be a little more discerning about lumping all of these stories into the same bucket.

 

I don't really see the misconduct there. Probably bad judgment for the friend to tell said person that so and so was hoping to sleep with you tonight, therefore set up his couch (or broke out Barry Manilow album, etc. etc. etc.).

I'm not making excuses for true misconduct that makes someone feel uncomfortable. Just not a lot of information to go on here. I am going to reserve judgment. What a mess.

 

I don’t think the commenter made it up, I think they believe it to be true. But the commenter was neither the potential victim nor one of her friends who might actually know the details. It was an anonymous person who “saw” this at a beer festival. Without knowing who the poster is, whether they knew Shaun or the other girl, whether Shaun and the girl knew each other, or really anything else about the context, I think it’s unfair to conclude Shaun is a sexual predator. Again, show me a pattern of similar claims (like even one or two) and I would feel very differently.

 

I think considering the allegations and what they mean is important so we all take a step back and realize Shaun Hill (and the others named) is not actually the "above it all" philosopher/monk/alien/savant dedicated to perfecting beer that is portrayed in the media and interviews - regardless of whether or not the allegations are true. Too many of these brewers are given "god" status by us consumers simply because they make great beer, and that in part allows the toxic "boys club" atmosphere to flourish because it creates a mentality that "there's no way (insert name here) could do any wrong," even in the face of mounting evidence. It also makes it harder for people who have been mistreated to feel comfortable to come forward.

I know I've certainly fallen into doing this, especially with regards to Hill Farmstead, so I'm doing some self reflection to remember these brewers are just people, these breweries are just companies, and the product is just beer.

 

SH told his brewer friend that he had set up a place to have sex with a woman? And this is sexual harassment how? Jesus Christ, I mean what are we even talking about here.

A man told another man that he intended to have sex with a woman. Is that really the bar for sexual harassment now?

 

Wait, I'm a little confused. Didn't Brienne personally post a story, and that's what the link verifies?... meaning that it's secondhand, and that the original story is anonymous?**Or did Brienne personally hear AND post the story?... I don't think the link supports that.

BIG DISCLAIMER TIME: I'M NOT ATTEMPTING TO CAST DOUBT ON THESE STORIES OR EVEN CRITICIZE THE WAY IN WHICH THEY'RE BEING PRESENTED IN ANY WAY, just aiming to clear up confusion.

 

Do you have any specific problems with his response? Or is it just that you didn't understand it/it was too long?

He clearly intends to say more, which is why he said he still needs more time to consider it all.

 

Women see enough of this to know what it is when they see it, I think, particularly since the person who told the story said the woman's friends were pleading with her to come with them instead of Shaun.

Shaun Hill is in his 40s. I would be very surprised if a guy in his 40s who is trying to coerce a drunk woman to come home with him has never tried to do that before. He did offer a statement on the issue, too, which does not deny that this happened, only that he has a "different perspective" on it.

"Sexual predator" might be too harsh a label, particularly if Shaun honestly does not understand that doing that is wrong. Part of why the problems Brienne has been posting about are so rampant is because sometimes people really don't know any better, and people who do know better keep silent for one reason or another.

 

The exact post about airbnb is above. It's unclear (to me at least) if that is a repost (which is more obvious with all the copy pasted DMs) or a personal story of Brienne's

 

It depends. Is that woman an employee, co-worker, or a work associate? Then I would say yes.

 

I saw this happening live and it was all stories she was posting from others, right? Meaning that it is "anonymous" (AGAIN: NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT IN MY ESTIMATION), right? Just looking for clarity. I could be mistaken.