Home of the BrewNosers

Peter Egelston, president and founder of the Smuttynose Brewery in New Hampshire, told a story at the Acadia thing that I thought was very interesting.

Basically beer sales as a whole are flat, but the story from the brewers at the conference was that more people are drinking craft beer, and that’s creating jobs because craft brewers are less efficient than the major breweries.

Peter’s story was that they sell beer in Supermarkets and give out samples. It’s usually the women that they snag (men are possibly less polite and less often doing the grocery shopping). The woman is usually hesitant initially. She has a large pack of commercial Bud Lite, or similar, in the trolley for her husband. She says … “well, I don’t really like beer, I get it for my husband though,” pointing to the trolly. Eventually she gives in and says “OK, give me something really light to try”.

The Smuttynose sales people eventually realized that that woman, and the many like her, were asking to taste the exact thing that they didn’t like. They were asking for a sample of something similar to what they were buying for their husband. So, they started ignoring requests, and dishing out porters etc., and this led to success. The women would leave the superstore with a 30 pack of mainstream beer for their husband, and on top of that would be a 6 pack of Smuttynose craft beer for themselves.

He said, women understand wine and all the nuances of flavour and grapes etc. they’ll ask for that “Australian Shiraz” etc., and their salesman are giving them a language and an understanding to help them appreciate the world of craft beer.

That understanding and appreciation of craft beer is often lacking in both sexes but there is a huge market that’s being untapped with the women.

It’s apparently nonsense that women like fruit flavoured light beers.

Amen. The girls in my life tend to have a finer palet but lack the language to describe the taste/sensation/smell/etc of beers.

After the ACBA I organized a tasting for a bunch of people. Too many people, but a good experence.

The ladies (some who "don't like dark beer") picked the portes and stouts as faves.

Sandy

Thanks for summing up that story, GRock, it really struck a chord with me too!

Seems to be how the fellas from Brew Dog handle introducing women to craft beer as well. If you watch their TV show, they "recruit" craft beer virgins..and it seems like most of the time it's a stout or porter that they are handing to the women.

While I think they're on to something with having women taste things other than light beer, I think overgeneralizing is a dangerous path, and for women drinkers it seems to be wayyyyy too easy for guys to lump us all together. Beer isn't all a boys club, where you're directing/converting women to beer. Suggest women (like everyone else!) try different beers, and let them choose what they like and don't. Kirsten and I are both women, and our tastes in beer are not at all the same. As for women not having vocabulary to talk about beer...so what? Neither does any new beer drinker, period. Tell a new drinker (no matter male or female) to simply describe what they taste, and relate it to more familiar tastes (ie. "I taste chocolate", "This reminds me of citrus").

We've met you boys, and we know you're very inclusive, but sometimes threads like these don't read altogether kindly for women.

-Keely.

Accepted Keely. But do you think there's an untapped market?

GuingesRock wrote:Accepted Keely. But do you think there's an untapped market?

I think the untapped market is any person who isn't really into beer, and/or only knows it as the big commercial stuff (Bud, Coors, etc.) Some of those people are women, but lots are men.

-Keely.

I was thinkingthe same thing as Keely. Has nothing to do with sex or gender, just open minded people who haven't tried good beer.

Beer sales are static. People are moving from the big names to craft beer. Why do some not like beer in general? Are there more women than men who don't like beer? Why isn't the craft beer movement creating more beer drinkers?

GuingesRock wrote:Are there more women than men who don't like beer? Why isn't the craft beer movement creating more beer drinkers?

1. Possibly, likely cause advertisement and 100 years of social pressure have pushed that beer is a men's drink
2. Who says it isnt?

I didn't mean it as a sexist comment.

You are very right that all humans could education on apppreacation the finer things in life.

I'm sure there is a wine guy somewhere (and some brewnosers) that thinks my palet could use a tweek.

Sandy

CorneliusAlphonse wrote:

GuingesRock wrote:Are there more women than men who don't like beer? Why isn't the craft beer movement creating more beer drinkers?

1. Possibly, likely cause advertisement and 100 years of social pressure have pushed that beer is a men's drink
2. Who says it isnt?

Re: # 1. If advertisers are selling beer as a man's drink then that's bloody stupid as they are alienating 50% of their potential market. Re: #2 it isn't.

Have you ever watched or looked at a beer ad? They don't advertise to a very wide demographic.

And craft beer is making more beer drinkers. But also lower volume drinkers.

Maybe beer sales are flat because more people are making their own? Home brewing only became legal in the US in 1979.

Craft beer sales in NS are up 30% over last year...

Yes but beer sales as a whole are supposed to be static. The craft beer is taking a bigger share of a static market.

Which goes back to where I said it is creating more drinkers, but lower volume drinkers. Most people I know that switched from macro to craft also switches from 4 beer a night to 2

Kathleen's drink of choice is a DIPA, the hoppier the better, and she drinks beer when she is out with me, but I just asked her about this and she says if she went out with a group of girls and wanted to "be cool," she'd have to order a glass of red wine. Ordering a beer in that setting would be "akin to sitting in front of the TV scratching your balls." She also said, referring to the setting of a group of girls, "it has to be pretty". I suppose it's true also, that if I was out drinking with a group of guys, it would have to be a rugged looking drink.

So the social pressure is still there in places. Also people of different social status will often select different kinds of drinks.

I used to think that people had different tastes, but now I think that's totally wrong, and it's more a societal thing.

I am hoping that craft beer will eventually break down these social barriers. After all, IPA was once the drink of the gentry in England.

I'd just like to say, that as a new-ish member of the forum (who happens to be 1 half of a beer loving all-female couple) even just seeing a thread with the subject "Beer and Women" is pretty off-putting.

After reading the thread, I don't really have any hard feelings about it, but you should be aware how that might come across as alienating.

darciandjenn wrote:I'd just like to say, that as a new-ish member of the forum (who happens to be 1 half of a beer loving all-female couple) even just seeing a thread with the subject "Beer and Women" is pretty off-putting.

After reading the thread, I don't really have any hard feelings about it, but you should be aware how that might come across as alienating.

Changed it. Thanks!

no prob

darciandjenn wrote: no prob

Welcome to the site by the way. Do you have/need Beersmith 2? I just got a competition prize package in the mail and one of the items is a BS software key and I already have BS. Let me know and I'll PM you the key. If you don't need one I'll PM it to the first person who would like it.

That would be great!

We've been in the wine and spirit manufacturing sector for 23 years now, starting with a traditional Black Forest Schnaps way back in 1991. It still suprises me today that there appears to be a gender bias when it comes to any alcoholic beverage.

We have people come to our store wanting a specific bottle of wine, spirit or liqueur recommended by one of their friends as "this is a good product". For some, this may be adequate, but for most, our reply is "what are you looking for in the product"? 8 time out 10, we're me with a blank stare. This is where the fun begins. After a few questions, we hone in on a specific weight, flavour, dryness, etc., and go from there. 9 times out 10, the customer walks out with something completely different from what they had intented to buy. The most amazing fact of all, there is no gender specifics in this.

The only way I can rationalize taste, is to compare it to a painting. We all look at art in a different way, some like a particular piece, some don't, it's a personal preference. To classify/specify based on norms, particularly in the food/beverage sector, is to take a narrow minded approach. Yes, base line ingredients for a specific style have to be met, but to be too restrictive is to limit both the ability of the creator and the enjoyment of the consumer.

Society, and with that I'm referring mostly to marketing, has normed gender specific consumption, i.e. Scotch, whiskey and beer for the good old boys, wines and fruity things for the girls. The world has evolved a long time ago, the marketing sector has just not recognized this fact.

Whatever it is you enjoy, keep enjoying it and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

End of rant.