Media Kit · 2026
Shanleigh Thomson
Shan Ferments
Fermentation science, hop terroir, and craft beverage systems, made accessible without being dumbed down. Practitioner grade education for the industry and the curious people behind it.
About
The voice behind Breaking Brews
Shanleigh Thomson is a food and beverage scientist, educator, and creator with more than 12 years of experience across hops, brewing, ingredients, and beverage alcohol. She holds a Master of Science in Food Science from Purdue University, a UC Davis Master Brewers Certificate, and completes her UC Davis MBA in August 2026. Her career includes commercial and technical roles with Yakima Chief Hops, Roy Farms, RahrBSG, and Diageo.
Her brand, Shan Ferments, is built on a founding principle that practitioner grade science education should not live behind gatekeeping. Her flagship series, Terroir Tuesday, has become a touchstone in the hop and craft beverage world, growing a platform that reaches more than 320,000 people across Instagram, Substack, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
Shanleigh currently teaches hops and hop products for both the Washington State University Brewing Certificate Program and the UC Davis Master Brewers Certificate Program. She runs Clear Cask, her technical consulting arm, and has been recognized in Forbes, Good Beer Hunting, and on the BrewDeck Podcast. Her content is tracked by Meltwater and has been recommended by Hop Notes, MacKinnon Report, Friday Night Beers, and Pilgrim's Hallow. She is an active CBC attendee and media presence, with ongoing partnerships including Abstrax Hops and Barley's Angels.
Credentials
Platform Performance · Instagram
@shan.ferments · by the numbers
All data sourced from Meta Business Suite analytics exports. Period: Dec 17, 2025 to May 27, 2026 (47 feed posts, 5+ months).
Performance by Format
| Format | Posts | Avg Reach | Avg Views | Avg Saves | Avg Shares | Avg Follows |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carousels | 14 | 11,275 | 20,196 | 202 | 223 | 215 |
| Reels | 30 | 7,208 | 8,560 | 26 | 55 | 143 |
| Images | 3 | 1,733 | 4,600 | 1 | — | — |
| All Posts | 47 | 8,433 | — | — | — | 134 |
Carousels lead in saves and shares, the bookmarks that live in followers' saved folders and drive long-tail reach. Reels generate the highest raw follower conversion. Both formats are available for brand integration.
Instagram · Top Performers
Content that resonates
Hop science deep-dives and industry trend carousels consistently top the charts. Posts combining rigorous science with a clear hook are where reach and engagement are highest. Views shown where available from raw post-level exports; earlier posts show Reach from dashboard aggregate.
| Post | Type | Views | Reach | Saves | Shares | Follows |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hop Creep | Carousel | 36,553 | 20,122 | 410 | 318 | 369 |
| 2026 Alcohol Trends | Carousel | — | 28,758 | 489 | 709 | 359 |
| Swag in 2026 | Carousel | — | 27,630 | 977 | 1,248 | 350 |
| Riwaka (Terroir Tuesday) | Reel | 24,850 | 18,888 | 98 | 313 | 765 |
| Sabro (Terroir Tuesday) | Reel | 23,614 | 16,577 | 90 | 219 | 338 |
| January Science Recap | Carousel | — | 14,214 | 299 | 200 | 526 |
| Neomexicanus Hops | Reel | — | 14,547 | 91 | 189 | 432 |
Platform Performance · Substack
Breaking Brews with Shan Ferments
Data sourced from Substack analytics and email stats exports as of March 2026.
Platform Performance · LinkedIn
Shanleigh Thomson · industry audience
LinkedIn data from analytics export, week of March 11 to 17, 2026.
Content Pillars
What Shan Ferments covers
Terroir Tuesday
Weekly deep dive on hop varieties, covering genetics, terroir, chemistry, and flavor expression. Highest follow conversion of any format. 15 editions published, with a 57% peak open rate on the Chinook edition.
Science Recaps
Monthly carousels distilling the most important brewing and fermentation research. Highest save rates of any format, bookmarked for reference by brewers and ingredient professionals.
Industry Commentary
Opinion carousels on trends, economics, and shifts in craft beer and beverage. Widest reach and highest share rates, the posts most likely to spread beyond the existing audience.
Variety Vitals
New in 2026: quick-reference reel series covering hops that are too new, too proprietary, or too under-researched for the full Terroir Tuesday format. Accessible and shareable.
Podcast & Video
Recorded content, conference coverage (CBC 2025 & 2026), and the Breaking Brews show, expanding onto YouTube in 2026 with a co-production partner.
Shan Side Quests
Travel and exploration content within the Shan Ferments brand umbrella, including hop farm visits, industry travel, and behind the scenes industry access.
Partnership Opportunities
Working together
Shan Ferments works with brands whose products align with what the content covers: hop suppliers, ingredient companies, brewing equipment, and fermentation-forward food and beverage brands. Partnerships are always disclosed and always integrated into content that would exist anyway.
Sponsored Reels
Terroir Tuesday or Variety Vitals integration, with your product, variety, or ingredient woven into the weekly deep dive format.
Avg reach: 7,200 to 16,500 · Avg follows per strong post: 150 to 765
Sponsored Carousels
Long-form editorial carousel with your brand integrated. Best for educational content, supply chain stories, or ingredient science.
Avg reach: 9,000 to 29,000 · Avg saves: 175 to 490
Substack Integration
Dedicated feature or sponsored section within a Terroir Tuesday newsletter. Can be paired with a matching Instagram post.
474+ subscribers · 51.3% avg open rate · high-intent readership
Event Coverage
On-site content creation at trade events, hop farms, or brewery visits. Full CBC 2025 & 2026 coverage completed. Growing pillar.
Live floor content · Substack & IG recap · Story series
Custom Content
Campaign content tailored to your brief, including social graphics, educational scripts, and written pieces for your own channels. Leverages food science background and industry expertise.
Flexible format · one-off or ongoing
Consulting
Ingredient education, fermentation science communication, content strategy for F&B brands. Offered through Clear Cask / Shan Ferments LLC.
Advisory · strategy · brand positioning
Best fit for: Hop suppliers and ingredient companies (YCH, Haas, RahrBSG, Abstrax, etc.) · Craft brewing equipment and technology · Fermentation-forward food and beverage · Beer media and trade publications · Beverage tourism and hospitality brands targeting the brewing industry · Lab and quality control tools for small and mid-size breweries.
What I don't do
Unrelated product placements, undisclosed sponsorships, or content that contradicts the science. No energy drinks, MLM products, alcohol brands pushing volume over quality, or anything I would not personally recommend to a brewer.
Beyond the Creator Brand
Clear Cask · technical consulting
Shan Ferments is the public education and media brand, where Shanleigh publishes and builds industry authority. Clear Cask is the consultancy behind it, handling the strategic, behind the scenes work that technical companies hire directly. The model is a technical partner rather than an outsourced marketing department.
Clear Cask comes in to solve a specific communication problem, whether that is unclear positioning, a sales team without the right materials, or a technical story the market doesn't understand yet. It builds the systems and materials around that problem, and leaves the client with tools their internal team can run.
Brand & Positioning Strategy
Positioning, messaging frameworks, value propositions, customer personas, and brand voice, forming the foundation for how a technical company communicates.
Technical Communications
White papers, technical articles, product explainers, case studies, and application guides that customers can understand and trust.
Strategic Marketing Support
Product launch strategy, sales messaging, customer education systems, and sales collateral that help teams communicate consistently.
Scientific & Industry Consulting
Expert guidance on brewing science, fermentation, ingredients, hop products, beverage processing, product quality, and sustainability communication.
Let's Connect
Ready to partner?
Reach out to discuss custom integration, rates, and availability. Shan Ferments accepts a limited number of partnerships per quarter to preserve content quality and audience trust.