Did you know that the story of women and beer is an ancient one? According to All About Beer Magazine, the story began in 1800 B.C., when brewing beer was part of a woman’s daily chores in ancient Sumerian and Egyptian societies. The relationship between beer and women that has developed over the last 4,000 years has been rocky at times. Who says it has to be complicated, though? (Probably a man 🙂
If you look at the statistics, you see the problem right away. While 55% of men prefer beer over liquor or wine, less than 20% of women agree. They most often drink wine. But these statistics mainly just look at big brand beers, perhaps the romance could be a bit rosier when it comes to craft beers?
According to the Brewers Association, women ages 21-34 drink craft beer more frequently than the national average, though they still represent just 15 percent of craft beers’ total consumption. Women say they are choosing craft beers over other beers because they are looking for a drink with more flavor, but that still contains the components of beer.
As I wrote in a previous blog, I am one of the many women who dislike the taste of beer. For me, Mad Hops Flavored Beer Drops is the answer I’ve been looking for. While it is not intended to end every woman’s quest for the perfect craft beer, it does provide the flavor that many of us crave and that regular beers lack.
And Mad Hops is rich in flavor but low in calories, so women on a diet can still enjoy their light beer with a twist (in the form of a flavored beer drop, that is).
Where do women play a role in the beer industry?
Women are doing much more than just “creeping-up” the beer drinking statistics, they are more involved than ever in the beer industry. Today women are helping to market, advertise and brew beer, especially craft beer.
While finding women working in beer companies is not hard to do, the industry still has a way of letting its sexism appear from time to time, especially when a woman brewer comes along to ask the tough questions. Lee Lord, a production brewer at Smuttynose Brewing Co. in Hampton, New Hampshire, says women often get overlooked at beer tastings, as if she isn’t suppose to like or know anything about beer because she is a woman. All About Beer quotes Lord as saying, “A lot of times, even while working retail, people will stumble up, and say [to her], you don’t even look like you like beer.”
Women in the beer industry will continue to thrive, driven by their passion for beer. Regardless of how they are viewed by some, more and more women will apply their knowledge to brewing the perfect beer. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if one day women were the leading gender of beer brewing companies.
