When it comes to male and female choices in the British pub, it seems that stereotypes really do still exist with almost one in two women perceiving beer to be more of a man’s drink (49%), according to a new survey released.
Glassware in pubs can be off putting
The findings come from a new survey released by Friends of Glass, and ahead of Beer Day Britain (15 June), which also shows that the humble pint glass could be part of the reason why women are put off drinking beer today. 47% of women think that a woman drinking from a pint glass can be seen as unfeminine and the majority (43%) would choose to drink beer from a continental lager glass when given a list of glassware options.
Jane Peyton, Britain’s first beer sommelier of the year (2014-2015) and instigator and organiser of Beer Day Britain says: “Women and beer is a fascinating area as there are so many anomalies when you talk to women. They think they don’t like bitter flavours yet many of us love to eat rocket and drink coffee. However, one resounding fact that comes out when you talk to women is that glassware normally used to serve beer in pubs in Britain can be off putting. This survey confirms my suspicions that it’s not about taste for many women but about presentation of this wonderful gift from nature.”
‘Elegant’ glass would help change image of beer
39% of the 1,000 women who took part in the survey also said that using an ‘elegant’ glass for beer would help change the image of beer as a man’s drink and a quarter said that using an elegant glass would make drinking beer more pleasurable (25%).
Jane Peyton says: “Here’s the irony – many women do not drink beer because they think it is masculine but of all alcoholic drinks, beer has more female elements and connections to the feminine than any other. For instance, look at history and you will see that women were the original brewers, look at the brewing and you will see it is the female part of the hop plant that is used and look at the hops and you will see that they are the second richest source of plant based female hormones. Yeast which gives us alcohol is female. In ancient cultures, the deities of beer were female whereas the deities of wine were male. In the creation myths of many pagan societies beer was a gift to humans from females. ”
Rebecca Cocking from Friends of Glass – the community that prefers to choose glass for taste, health and the environment – and who commissioned the survey, says: “Glass is noted for its properties when it comes to preserving the taste of food and drink, and beer is no exception. The women interviewed clearly identified this but what is really interesting here is their thoughts about beer being a male drink. With the rise of craft beers in Britain and Golden Ales tipped as the new taste of summer, a move towards seeing more continental style glassware in pubs, bars and restaurants may help move away from this outdated stereotype.”
About Friends of Glass
Friends of Glass is an influential European consumer forum that supports and promotes the right of consumers everywhere to choose food and drink products in glass packaging. It unites all those who believe glass is the clear choice for taste preservation, personal health and the environment. Friends of Glass was initiated in 2009 by the European Container Glass Federation (FEVE) in response to a pan-European survey, commissioned by FEVE in September 2008, in conjunction with the research agency, InSites; which found that 74% of European consumers prefer glass packaging for their food and drinks. Today, this figure has increased to 87%.