Women also raise glasses to beer
Women there are also drinking beer more regularly with over 3.2 million (14%) saying they drink it once or twice a week.
AB InBev has released insights from research looking at the appeal of beer among women in the UK.
The research reveals that over 9.2 million women (40%) over the age of 25 in the UK have enjoyed beer in the last month alone.
Women there preferred lager such as Stella Artois (77%) followed by ales such as Leffe (27%) and then stout (15%), states the company.
During this time beer was a more popular choice among women (40%) than Prosecco (36%), cocktails (28%) or gin (19%).
Despite this, more than 4.6 million women (20%) have been served the wrong drink when they asked for a beer in a bar or restaurant, with the assumption being that the beer must be for the man.
While one in five UK women have experienced their beer being given to their male companion rather than themselves only 16% corrected the bar staff or waiter and 7% even ended up drinking or taking a sip from the wrong drink to avoid confrontation
“It’s really interesting to see that despite women drinking more beer, these stereotypes still exist,” commented Emma Reynolds, Director of Corporate Affairs, AB InBev, on the findings, “Beer is a drink for men and women to enjoy alike. We’re committed to celebrating and promoting its wide appeal through our own marketing by showcasing women in the industry, working with organisations such as Dea Latis and by investing in industrywide initiatives such as ‘There’s A Beer For That’.
Beer appears to be rising in popularity, with 81% of women agreeing that there are some very sophisticated beers out there and 87% stating that there’s a world of beers to explore and that the time has never been better to try them.
“These results do not surprise me” comments Annabel Smith co-founder of Dea Latis, a group set up to promote beer among women, “there’s a huge interest among women in beer, with more and more women opting for beer as their drink of choice.
“We’re also seeing more women choosing a career in the beer industry, from The Beer Sommelier of the Year Jane Peyton to the Chief Executive of the British Beer and Pub Association Brigid Simmonds.
Despite more women uniting in their love of beer, nearly half (44%) of females believe that beer is still perceived as a man’s drink.
These results follow a viral #WeAllLoveBeer video launched last week, where perceptions about women and beer were put to the test. A number of real life couples in the US were monitored on a night out, with the woman ordering a beer and the man a different drink.
In the majority of orders the beer was served to the man, even though it was the woman who ordered it.
Dea Latis
Named after the Celtic goddess of beer and water Dea Latis is a group of brewers, beer tasters, publicans, writers and marketeers. What unites them is their passion for beer and a belief that it’s far too good to be enjoyed only by men.
Beer was, according to myth, a gift from a goddess to womenkind. Brewing was traditionally women’s work; in the early 18th Century, three-quarters of brewers were female. So why, now, is only 13% of beer drunk by women (a far lower figure than in the US or most of Europe)?
Research indicates it’s because of misconceptions about beer as ‘fattening’ (it’s not, in moderation), ‘all tasting the same’ (it doesn’t) or ‘a man’s drink’ (it doesn’t have to be).
Dea Latis aims to challenge women’s ideas about beer and present it to them in a way that encourages them to taste it. The organisation doesn’t expect change to happen quickly or easily, but that’s no reason not to try.
