For some reason, people think beer is for men, and wine is for women. It’s stupid, they’re wrong, and we have proof. According to a recent poll, the majority of 18-34 year old women like beer more than anything else – for the first time ever.
Why? Other than the fact that beer is awesome, and sexist stereotypes are outdated, we have some thoughts…
- Emerging craft beer scene: Women have gravitated toward wine because there are so many varieties – now we can find that in beer too. Added bonus that craft beer brewers are pushing higher ABV and the sharing of bottles. Being more social = being more fun.
- Marketing: Beer was often marketed as a man’s drink and focused on “cracking open a cold one” and usually included a pin-up girl. Not that we have anything against beautiful women, but the advertising today is more about lifestyle, therefor more appealing to us ladies.
- Quality Over Quantity: Women 18-34 aren’t likely to bulk shop at Walmart or BJ’s, they’re much more willing to spend a bit more for fresh food at a farmer’s market. Same goes for beer. They’re not buying 30 racks of Bud Light (we save that for Beer Olympics), they’re getting 6 or 12-packs of what they really like.
- Friends: It’s completely socially acceptable now for women to drink beer together, un-influenced by their dudes. Ladies night with pitchers of beer sounds perfect – especially for a weeknight when you’re not looking to get tipsy on dirty martinis.
Just to clear this up – we love wine, and we know lots of guys who love wine, too. Get rid of those gender lines, and drink what you like.
Are you surprised that more women are turning to beer? If you’re a female beer drinker (or know one) we want to hear from you in the comments.