Tracy Mulligan - Indomitable

Tracy Mulligan

Back in the late 1990s/early 2000s, the craft beer scene in the Philly metro area was a very tight community. Those were heady times. Craft beer was still a niche. Big money would come barreling in every so often, blunder around and after severe losses, would stagger away, leaving the local craft beer community pretty much still a small friendly world.

One of the fixtures of this community was Tracy Mulligan. With her perpetually perfect hair and make-up, she always looked like she just walked out of a 1980s rock video. While she may have stood out visually from the fairly homogenous crowd back then, she fit right in. Totally free of pretense, she was around for the love of good beer and the comradery that accompanies it.

When she went from being a beer craft civilian to an industry professional, she was a natural. Speaking as a craft beer bar owner from that time, Tracy was a truly great brewery rep. She knew her beer, she always followed through, and she came up with some really fun events.

Whenever I think back on what were for me the glory days of craft beer in Philadelphia, Tracy is omnipresent. When Tracy left the craft beer industry (or maybe more correctly the industry left her), was the time that craft beer started to become just another industry.

As craft beer became ubiquitous, our small world became much bigger. There was no need to travel 30 miles for good beer, or a good beer event, anymore. While friendships continued by Facebook and texts, we all saw each other less and less.

There are two Tracy Mulligans I will always remember. The first is my glamorous friend from the glory days of craft beer. The second is the mohawked indomitable woman who faced cancer head on, living life as fully as possible while she could.

Life was always jolly when Tracy was around, and through Tracy’s work with the Coatesville Youth and Women’s Association, her neighborhood was a better place. She’ll be missed.

Tracy was a true friend and left a lot of true friends behind. And that is the best legacy I can think of.

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