Craft Brewing Has a Sexism Problem

I read the article and thought it was well written and it raises some important points. Some of the labels I would not buy because I would not want to try to explain them to my 10 year old granddaughter or 11 year old grandson. If you don't like the label, don't buy the beer. A handful of labels from a universe of 20,000 or so beers does not make a very convincing argument of industry-wide perversion and sexism.

I agree with the comments that the craft beer industry is probably no more sexist than any other industry. I would like to see a world where my granddaughter has the same opportunities - and the same pay scale as my grandson and I would like to see that in any industry and business.

 

Brewers are free to name their beer whatever they please but should be full aware of the consequences of doing so. How many sales have Against the Grain lost because of the uber-sophomoric Brown Note (well that and the fact that it's a$14 bomber of Brown Ale......) If Flying Dog could quantify what they lose over people opting not to buy Raging Bitch, than I'm sure they'd ceremoniously rebrand it. Fact is, even though there is material that could offend, most craft beer drinkers tend to have at least a little bit of snark or dark, dry wit that allows them to overlook the entendre or outright suggestive vulgarity. Truth be told, with exception to "Bitch Slap" which I find wickedly distasteful, I feel more strongly about stupid pot reference names, but only because it doesn't help the cause of legalization to be associated with teenage pot puns. Only makes pot look more Fast Times at Ridgemont High and less mainstream.

 

As a woman in the industry I have a moderate threshold for this sort of thing, pretty much echoing what utopiajane said. I'm not particularly offended by the Clown Shoes or Flying Dog labels and then Gansett yearly calendar doesn't bother me either. Whatever.
BUT I do think some of the other stuff crosses the line and that it could be big risk for breweries to market themselves this way. If I do find something to be offensive, I probably won't buy it, and I probably won't want to work in an establishment that sells products that alienate people (myself included). Also, there's a greater amount of diversity amongst people in management positions and people with buying power. Some people might have no problem carrying a beer called "Panty Dropper" but you would never see that in a bar or store I manage where I have the final say.

From my experience I am also inclined to think that breweries rely on trite and unoriginal humor to market their product are also not making the most original or innovative beer.

 

As mentioned in the article - too many lame puns and gimmicky names. If you make good beer, then there is no need for these things. And if a brewery wants to be taken seriously, it should stay away from these names as well.

 

The whole world has a "sexism problem" by their definition.

 

Bingo! Well said. I think we (as a community) can do better than that.

 

Brewers are not free to call their beer anything they want or put anything they want on a label. There are extensive state and federal guidelines, and a complex approval procedure. From casual discussions with brewers, it is a daunting process. I believe labels and even label changes must be approved by a board at several levels (not a brewer, so not 100% certain). I would not be surprised to find such boards have a "good ol' boy" makeup to them. That might be a good place to start if it's deemed that change is warranted.
http://www.ttb.gov/beer/labeling.shtml

 

the nice thing about the free market is that the consumers (you and me) will decide what will succeed, and fail. If we don't like the product (for whatever reason), we won't buy it, and they will crash and burn. If we do like the product, they will succeed.

That being said why would you actually read an article from slate, and finish it, and take it seriously?

 

I didnt click on the article, but I would say that these semi-offensive names are pretty few and far between.

that said, craft beer should do all in its power to attract more women to the scene. Over the past year or two, I definitely see more women at craft beer bars/evnets and this is a MUCH welcome change from the 21-45 year old out of shape white guy that usually dominates the scene (at least here in Portland)

 

And here I was thinking Left Hand's stranger was named for the Camus novel...

 

Not sure about the good 'ol buy part. But I can confirm that all labels must be approved by the TABC before being sold in TX. By watching the approval reports from TABC, that's how we know something will be sold soon before it is released.

 

I can understand people thinking certain breweries go too far with the sex-based marketing (doesn't offend me but I'm also not one who is offended terribly easy...), but at the same time I think a lot of it is simply that certain people are only happy if they have something to bitch about.

 

I feel like I reads this article last year...

 

Probably. It's slate. Their articles are all the same regurgitated garbage.

 

Yep, and this is really indicative of the superficiality of a lot of bad, online feminism. Instead doing some real reporting or analysis involving the social structures that limited women's involvement in the beer scene or outline the material consequences thereof, we get a list of things the author finds mildly offensive. It's as if momentary discomfort isn't just a small symptom of a greater problem but the entirety of that problem. And that's nuts.

I go to a beer fest, it's usually 75% male and 95% white. That means there's probably something going on, but that something doesn't have to do with a small handful of gross or very mildly sexist beer names. Three Floyds could release six different beers all named after Jezebel writers and Amy Schumer sketches and it's unlikely the gender demographics at DLD would change one bit.

 

yup pretty much agree...

 

Whatever. I buy those brews. I think they're just naughty fun.
Then again, I also gifted a bottle of the brown note. yep, that's my level.

And for the record, I'm nutless.
(But hey brewers, wouldn't hurt to toss some beefcake on a few bottles for us chicks and our fellow BA's who are gay... just sayin')

 

I am really proud of you guys. I thought this site was full of weirdos! I am so sick of this stuff, just sick of it. I won't read it. I don't care! People need to get a life. This outrage is manufactured and people should pay no mind to it. It is baseless, stupid, and not a real problem. This world has gone crazy!

 

^I'm with this guy.

 

Agreed. The "quit complaining" comments ring pretty hollow coming from a bunch of guys. The comments from the female BA's are the true perspective whether this article has a point or not.

For all of those who dismiss sexism in our society - even if you don't care, your wife/girlfriend/daughter/granddaughter probably does, and that should matter to you.