Putting beer on the menu this Christmas

The Christmas lights have all been switched on and everything in shops has glitter on it. It seems that the festive season is nearly upon us – again! I’m a big fan of Christmas, and there’s nothing I like better than drinking beer by a cosy pub fire with my friends; however we know that for most women, drinking beer while out socialising is something they wouldn’t consider.

So this Christmas, in what ways can pubs and bars look to position beer as a drink of choice for women during the festive season: when out for drinks with friends, at the office party or when out for a festive pub lunch?

Our research showed around a quarter of women believe there isn’t enough information about beers on offer in bars which puts them off ordering it. Pubs and bars can rectify this by offering advice on the best beer and food matches that most consumers aren’t familiar with – for example, Grolsch Weizen with a traditional smoked salmon starter, or Worthington White Shield as an accompaniment to a Christmas cheese board. We know this is common with wine but much less so with beer – we believe that taking cues like this from the wine industry will help start altering women’s perception of beer.

As part of the work we’re doing with BitterSweet Partnership, we also selected the 12 beers of Christmas, a list of beers which not only fit with festive occasions, but importantly are beers women will really enjoy. The selection includes beers that go perfectly with festive food, as well as lighter and speciality beers that can be sampled as alternatives to wines and spirits during the Christmas period – we suggest things like drinking Kasteel Cru as a delicious, lighter alternative to real bubbly, or something like Bacchus Kriek, a cheery fruit flavoured beer which works as an ideal fruity swap for red wine.

I’ve also touched upon this before in my previous post around women and pubs, but there are lots of additional ways bar staff can reposition beer for female customers, especially during the Christmas period. For example, make sure you pay attention to the presentation of drinks - you wouldn’t consider serving champagne in a mug would you, so why do the same for beer?