 |
| Picture supplied by Cooking Lager |
My mate Melissa Cole has been shouting about this subject for years(not going to give her age away though) and I'm sure if she was standing in the bar at the time she'd either a) walk out in disgust or almost certainly b) try and educate these ladies into trying something other than an over-sweetened fruit beer.
Now, I have a whole shelf in one of my fridges dedicated to fruit beers and there are some very good ones but clearly we still need to shout about the fact that ladies can enjoy any beer on any occasion so, anyone up for ladies night soon at The Rake?
I could put some very 'unladylike' beers on and invite all the ladies I know, hell! YOU could invite all the ladies YOU know, how does that sound?
You can also vote on the poll to the right, and before I get people complaining that it's sexist, it's just a bit of fun and my wife approved it!
18 comments:
Are you freaking kidding me. Ugh, it's girls like these that make me wish I didn't have a uterus (I figured that was a less vulgar word than the big "V")...
I'm sick of the "his" and "hers" mentality when it comes to beers.
My girlie beer = a big fat 12% stout aged in bourbon barrels.
Thanks for this post and your continued support of REAL women and beer.
Hi Ashley, thanks for stopping by and commenting, after 18 years in this business it still really annoys me, especially now I'm running The Rake, that women still think they should be drinking fruit beers when we have sooo much more!
Isn't it a little sexist to assume by "girly beers" they meant fruit beers?!
I would hope anyone would go for option B - the issue here is that the UK beer industry is still seen as a macho, pint swilling boys club and unless we do more to educate women that will never change.
For a lot of women their beer experience is men drinking pints of mainstream beer - I don't think it it's selling out to the sisterhood to not want to be part of that.
Of course women can drink any beer, any time but the sad truth is 60% of UK women don't drink beer ever. If women still think the only option is fruit beer or no beer it's clear that we need to more as an industry to get women interested in and experimenting in the category.
Kristy, I totally agree, and frankly as someone who's dealt with this on an almost daily basis, I don't think it's sexist to assume they want fruit beer, it's just born out of experience, and usually I do actually tell them that 'all beer is girly beer'.
Pint for the fella. White wine, fruit based drink for the lady. Rules is rules.
Cookie, you of all people should know, rules are there to be broken.
Wait! There's hope here yet! at least they asked for a girlie "BEER" they didn't settle for a rum and coke, or a white wine spritzer. And if they are drinking girlie beer then that doesn't mean they're looking for a coors light, simply something with more flavors. A Sam Adams Cherry Wheat started me on the road to great beer, and while i spent a lot of time with girlie beer such as hefeweizen and lambic, it lead me to a place where i can enjoy intense hoppiness, or the deep dark flavors of a big fat bourbon barrel aged stout. These women have just taken the first step on a long beautiful journey, don't hate them for ignorance, educate them!
Jessica, I'm not hating them for ignorance, I am trying(as are my team)to educate but I am despairing sometimes because it happens so often. It can be exasperating and frustrating but that's what we're trying to stop and that's what inspired the post.
Rabid - you're confused.
Confused as all fellers who think women and beer go together generally are.
Women have no interest in beer.They really don't.
For a woman to show the slightest interest in beer is pretty much like a feller trying to understand period pains or the price of Manolo Blahniks.
They have their world,we have ours.
Just leave it at that.
Otherwise it will wreck you head.
You see - the fact that I even know Manolo Blahniks are close to their heart means they're already one up on us.
Let them show the slightest interest in good beer and the game is up.
PPT - I will spread the word of craft beer for all like an irritating Jehovah's Witness at the door. It's good for business in the end, isn't it?
Special Saturday. Wot you gonna do?
Personally I dislike fruit beers yet my husband likes them.
I think it's time the beer industry ignore the his and hers thing, it cuts down your market audience for a start which is stupid in today's climate.
Hi Meer For Beer, thanks for the comment, I think everyone agrees with that. I personally like some fruit beers, Echt Kriekenbier is probably one of my favourite beers, the same with Boon Kriek and I recently brewed a Strawberry and Schezuan Pepper Wheat Beer with the Otley peeps which got a great reception from Men and Women alike. But I don't ONLY like fruit beers and that's something we still need to get across a bit more, different beers for different moods or occasions.
I'm with Wenchie on this one but I sense a shift in the perception of real ale as an old farts drink here in the UK.
Having dragged my long suffering wife off to countless beer festivals and craft beer pubs in the last couple of years I observe the following.
1. She has often gone out with the intention of drinking cider but the quality and consistency of the ale has meant she's soon gone onto the cask.
2. She has a penchant for dark ales (she really loved the LBA Porter that was in Brew Wharf on our last visit to town) and it is no coincidence that my last three brews have been, a Dogbolter style Porter, a St Petersburg style Imp Stout and an Oatmeal Stout I've just put on today.
Glyn, you're in a better position than most to observe a changing of the guard in terms of the beer drinking demographic; clearly more women are learning how to love the ale and surely the challenge for the licensed trade is how to keep them.
I think a ladies night at the Rake sounds like an excellent idea just as long as you've no plans to leap out from behind the baring a g-string :)
Cheers for the comment Sean, I don't do G-Strings and frankly I have no intention of baring anything at The Rake, God forbid!
Was in last night and my other half was pleased to find a Sam Smiths cherry beer. She was also pleased with the dark German wheatbeer (whichever it was). Both choices were the result of her having had the regular Rauchbier fix at Cask the previous week. Her introduction into beer drinking was Pilsner Urquell and the main issue is finding vegan beers - the Marble line-up a few weeks back was a godsend :-)
Personally, I was pleased to see Sam Smiths stout outside of the Sam Smiths pubs and also sampled the rather nice Sierra Nevada Harvest. I can enjoy a fruit beer too ('though more likely to go for raspberry than cherry).
Svied - thanks for stopping by the blog, glad to hear that your other half likes other beers rather than just fruit ones. agree that the Sierra Nevada Harvest is superb and we'll have it in again soon!
Post a Comment