Women Enjoying Beer

Finally! Women Outpace Men With Beer

Apr 1, 2011 Assumptions & Myth Busting, Education & Training, Unbelievable, Women and Beer

Did you hear?? Women have FINALLY outpaced men per beer. Let me give you some highlights:

Women are now the biggest and most educated consumer of beer, craft beer in specific. “We like to keep encouraging men to drink beer since they are lagging behind,” says one female beer enthusiast.

More and more breweries are pandering to men in their advertising which raises the ire of women. “Sexism really has no place with craft beer labeling and marketing. We don’t like it or appreciate objectifying men on beer labels and wish it would stop,” says another beer loving woman.

Women are encouraging men to get into the beer business. For too long women have dominated the brewery scene in the USA and the UK, hogging the limelight and not allowing men to really engage. Once again, women don’t like this trend and are trying to figure out how to solve the issue.

The variety of beers women drink has shrunk. “Nope – we don’t want any more variety of those ridiculous seasonal beers that breweries make. Just give us plain old beer.”

One recent grad of WEB University recently told us that she just wants to be able to relate to the common man and what women think they/he wants from his beer. “It’s really simple: we know what men want yet they aren’t drinking it – we don’t get it…..it’s unfortunate and sad that we women are always looked to for what men want from their beer.”

Most of all women are really disgruntled that they are being constantly invited into the beer conversation with well done and appropriately designed marketing techniques from breweries all over the globe. “It’s exhausting to have to be the aggressively sought after market share, especially since we [women] consume well over 70% of the beers made globally.” Give them a break already!

.

.

.

.

April fool.

Tags: april fool, women outpace men in beer

We Wish You A Hoppy Beverage Beer Carol

Dec 17, 2010 Celebration Worthy, Unbelievable

As promised, back by, well…ummm…, just back – is a second womanifestation of an erstwhile refashioned holiday beer carol. This one: We Wish You A Hoppy Beverage.

As before, sing along (you most likely know the tune) and share with friends. Like beer, song is meant to be spread around and enjoyed with others.

There you go – another reason to pour and lift a beer in celebration of the season. Cheers!

Tags: beer carol, sing along, We Wish You A Hoppy Beverage

Jingle Beer Carol Makes for (More) Festive Holiday

Dec 16, 2010 Celebration Worthy, Unbelievable

Hoppy Holidays Everyone! Here’s one of a few Beer Carols for you to enjoy – Jingle Beer. Sing along with me in this video, share with friends – ’tis the season – and invent your additional verses.

Wasn’t that GREAT!? There’s more on the way – keep your eyes peeled…

Tags: beer carols, Jingle Beer, sing along

Place Of No Return

Oct 11, 2010 Something To Think About, Unbelievable

Wow. As an optimist and a silver lining person, it is unusual that a place has so remarkably disappointed me that I feel compelled to say as much. This weekend that very thing happened.

We were in Portland OR for a few reasons – most surrounding the beer community. So it’s almost a forgone conclusion we will get out to a pub or brewery or taproom we’ve yet to patronize. After all there are numerous places and opportunities.

Leave the dirt in the garden

The place in focus will remain nameless. Because I doubt that a hashing of the whole thing would matter one iota, quite frankly. Simply use this as a double check for your own place.

Here’s what we experienced:

1. In driving up to park it looked like the place was deserted, no one sitting in tables street side. While that’s not a crime, it seemed odd that a) it was Saturday night and the place wasn’t packed to the gills and b) usually people like to watch other people or activity outside.

2. The low rent really cheap and cheesy looking (not just kitschy) “Open” sign.

3. The place smelled like dried urine, seriously. Very unclean smelling. Maybe partially because the wood floors, which looked to previously have housed a manufacturing facility, were filthy. Uneven, impossible to clean even had they wanted to.

4. You ordered at a counter from a benign worker (drone?), got a number, sat down at a dubiously clean table. Another worker was lazily making his way around the huge space, squirting an unidentified liquid on surfaces, sloppily wiping them up. In the lights reflection you could plainly see that he was consistently poor at this task.

5. Having ordered a beer and sat with our number, we were sipping on it when the food came. First off, not being a beer judge yet being able to value quality craft beer, it was unremarkable. Not a crime, again, just seems like a waste of materials and labor – however unengaged the crew is. It was dull, not bright and had no healthy head to it.

6. Food arrived. The worker who brought it over set one in front of me, when we identified it was mine, set the other away from my husband not in front of him when it seemed pretty easily obvious the second plate was his.

7. Food t’was more unremarkable than the beer. Seemed such a shame. Good thing it was cheap – but then again cheap is still a waste of money. As lovers of food, the fact we left good sized portions of this bland food on the plate is a big sign. Anyone who sells food should be aware of this and try to do something about it.

8. Since we ordered at the counter, and we had left our credit card up there to start a tab in hopes of wanting another great beer, we returned to the counter to settle up. To the chagrin of the worker, my husband left no tip – it certainly was not deserved in any way shape or form. And frankly, this make sit potentially awkward had we wanted to leave a tip. No service, no smiles, no check back on beer and food, not clean, smells bad. Would you tip?? Self service = no tipping. Bad service absolutely means no tip. They did everything to not earn it.

9. Totally turned off, disappointed that these people call themselves craft brewers and the passion fell off the customer experience truck a long ways back, we left and headed elsewhere.

The true tragedy is many fold. Bored or dispassionate workers = sloppy work, bad customer experience and I can’t believe they were having any fun. Bad environment = easy to fix and inexcusable. Poor beer and food = double whammy. Saturday night should be full to overflowing = poor place is bad for every one’s economy.

This place does a huge disservice to the craft beer community, beer community in general, and any self respecting cook.

Take this as a lesson in what not to do. Tomorrow: What to do.

Tags: dirty, exceedingly bad experience, negative impression, no passion, smelled like urine, unclean

GABF Media Luncheon Beers

Sep 28, 2010 Beer, Beer & Food, Celebration Worthy, Education & Training, Events, Unbelievable

Wow. Hang on…let me get my napkin.

Beautiful table setting to match the great beers and food

One of my favorite parts of the GABF happened again for me this year: The Media Luncheon.

First off, I’m very grateful for the opportunity to be a media member for this spectacular event. With 49,000 attendees, 3400 volunteers, 54,000 hours worked by those 3400, 462 breweries at the festival, 2200 beers at the festival, 3594 beers judged, 82 categories plus a Pro Am category, 150 judges from all over the world, and…well, you can see how the word spectacular is really an understatement.

I digress. So let’s cover what we had at the illustrious and luscious media lunch. Know the beers featured with one exception were 2009 medal winners.

Appetizer course at media luncheon

Appetizer

Duck-Rabbit Brewing Company’s Schwarzbier and Dry Dock Brewing Company’s Bismarck Altbier with Wild forest mushroom strudel with frisee salad

Intermezzo

Twisted Pine Brewing Company’s Le Petit Saison with Lemon-Ginger-Lavender sorbet (oh…my…goodness!!!)

Entree

Alchemist Pub & Brewery’s Ouroboros Double IPA and Cigar City Brewing Company’s Humidor Series IPA with Miso salmon beside double bone in pork chop stuffed with pink peppercorn an dapple relish, served with Cabrales pumpkin mashed potatoes and roasted

dessert at 2010 GABF media luncheon

root vegetables

Dessert

Choc Beer Company’s Signature Dubbel and Oakshire Brewing Company’s O’Dark 30 with milk chocolate cheesecake with dark chocolate ganache and raspberry

Wow. wow. Still thinking – wow.

Thanks to all the brewers for generously sharing, the BA for hosting it, and the Marriott for preparing the fabulous accompanying food AND great service.

Beer with food makes the ordinary, which is already pretty darn tasty, extraordinary.

Tags: Alchemist, award winning beers, beer and food pairing, Choc, Cigar City, Dry Dock, Duck-Rabbit, GABF media luncheon, Oakshire, Twisted Pine

GABF 2010

Sep 15, 2010 Beer, Celebration Worthy, Good People, Unbelievable

GABF 2009

The Great American Beer Festival starts tonight – for brewers, judges, and so forth. It opens to the public tomorrow night and hit a record in selling out 5 weeks out from the festival.

WOW! Impressive considering that there are lots fantastic beer festivals worldwide. This one, started by Charlie Papazian, has come to embody the grandmama of festivals for many.

For several years I worked the festival, with my Fine Husband and professional brewer, Larry Chase, Standing StoneBrewing Company , Ashland, OR. At the time he was with another brewery that was growing. It was really fun to be part of the activities going from a small handful of stores to over 20.

The observations and attitudes from people from all over the world, and in general this incredible group of beer enthusiasts and volunteers, make for a remarkable experience like no other.

When you have a chance, put it on your future late fall schedule. And if you decide to go and want to get together for a beer, give me a shout.

Look for a bunch of GABF centered info coming in these posts and on Twitter.

Tags: Denver CO, Great American Beer Festival

Why Stories Like This Make Me Crazy

Sep 2, 2010 Assumptions & Myth Busting, Something To Think About, Unbelievable

Read this. Then come back.

Okay – let me tell you why this drives me crazy (via all the hundreds of women who have shared and talked with WEB). And not good crazy either.

1. Beer does NOT need to be sexed up. Any more. At all. Anywhere. In fact it needs to get sex removed from it. Can we please get over sex in marketing!!??

2. Beer is brewed for genderless enjoyment – or it should be.

Women Enjoying Beer (Photo by Kate Parks)

3. Yes, women and men taste differently. How could they not? We’re all wired differently, we’re all physiologically unique. But beer should not be solely brewed to appeal to women. It should be brewed to appeal to all beer enthusiasts.

4. “Mistress” as a label for one of her beers is not helpful; it’s counter to women getting equal shrift. Who still does not get that words used in labels and titles need to be considered from the vantage point of someone else – not the one naming the widget or beer or whatever. It matters. And last time I checked, no self respecting woman wants to be subject to a mistress situation.

5. This is partially true: “There’s definitely a market for craft beers for women.” You have to start in the marketing level, not at the brew kettle. ALL beers are for women when they are marketed properly. There are literally thousands of beers ready and waiting – surely you can find a few that appeal to you no matter if you’re female, male, or any other gender classification.

6. “It has citrus layers, complexities and characteristics” Last time I checked with beer drinkers, ALL genders appreciated these things. Being orchestrated for only one gender is not the point.

So called gender-specific beer is missing the point; in fact it isn’t the point at all. Everyone wants to drink what they like – so all internal plumbing aside, keep trying beers new and different to you.

I guarantee you’ll find one – most likely more than that – that you’ll return to.

Geez….sadly this isn’t an isolated incident or uncommon way of thinking.

Tags: beer is genderless, beer sexism, labels, off the mark, sexism

August Experience

Aug 3, 2010 Something To Think About, Unbelievable

The root of not marketing beer to women partially comes from one of the global brewers. It’s irrelevant who the brewer is as well as who the visitor is. Just know that I’m about to share a bit of history on the why beer isn’t marketed to women per old morays and attitudes.

Set the clock back 30 – 40 years when the head of the brewery (family) was on field trip with some suppliers and other industry folk.

In visiting with this said head, the visiting supplier, who is smart, involved in the business, and participating in the beer community, asked:

“Why don’t they make beer glasses for women?” (meaning smaller capacity – which would also serve men better too.)

Response:

“Women don’t drink beer.”

Not with that attitude they don’t!

She was asking a very valid question, giving this person real usable input that would have helped guide them accurately towards the female beer consumer.

No small wonder this company isn’t on the ball for advertising to women – even today. They’re off the mark, spending millions undoubtedly on campaigns that are misdirected and not involved with the end consumer.

A blind interpretation that if your beer is selling barrels upon barrels, that still may not be success to some.

Listening is not just hearing. It’s the registration of information and execution of action when it is given to you.

Tags: bad attitude, off the mark

Stolen Women Enjoying Beer Sign

Jul 29, 2010 Unbelievable

Stealing is really uncool. And it’s very disconcerting.

This is what the stolen sign looks like

Yesterday Kate, my Women Enjoying Beer colleague, was running errands in Southern Oregon. She went in to transact a quick errand, and when she came out one of the magnetic signs on her car was gone.

I’m flattered that someone thinks it’s cool but theft is not the answer.

So – to whoever stole it, return it. If you see it and are not the thief, remove it from the car you see it on (as long as it’s not a dark green 4 door Jeep Wrangler or pale silvery blue Honda SRV), and call me at 515.450.7757. I’ll pay the postage to get it back.

Honestly. This makes me angry.

We should expect and get better from our neighbors and community memebrs.

Ironic that we went all over the country for the Home Free Tour (20K miles) and they made it all the way…now, in our own back yard, it gets stolen.

Tags: missing sign, return it, stealing, stolen sign

Beer Is Not Wine CBS!

Jul 9, 2010 Assumptions & Myth Busting, Beer, Something To Think About, Unbelievable

I feel ultra compelled to share the following with you.

As a member of the Brewers Association, one receives a daily Monday through Friday e newsletter chock full of great information, conversation, happenings and so on. Horst Dornbusch posted this spot on piece this week.

This, sadly, made me laugh out loud - and then get slightly pissed off.  ‘To wit’ indeed Mr. Dornbusch.

I’m in your camp and wanted to share it with WEB followers. If you agree readers, SPEAK UP !! Call CBS, NBC, FOX, whoever demand accuracy and proper representation and get them to realize Craft Beer is NOT a novelty nor nearly this ridiculously monochromatic. You get the idea. Act and we shall all receive.

Here it is.

“Mainstream Media Still does not (!) Understand Beer

Tags: Beer is not wine, CBS gaff, Horst Dornbusch, Julia Herz