Drink News TASTING NOTES AND SAMPLING TOP BEER AND WOMEN SURVEY


Beer and women forum Dea Latis has unveiled the findings of a new survey into the relationship between women and our national drink. The results were delivered to an audience at the new Brewing Equipment & Technology exhibition at the NEC.


The online survey, which received 600 responses, asked for respondents’ perceptions about women’s consumption of beer and what would make them more likely to buy beer in the on and off trade. Both men and women completed the survey.


The majority (73%) of respondents felt that brewers’ approach to women had improved over the last 10 years, but that there was ‘still a way to go’. A similar number (74%) think that more women are now more likely to include beer within their drinks repertoire, while 17% believe more women are choosing it as their main drink. On both questions, responses from men were slightly more optimistic than from women.


Asked to rank a number of techniques to encourage more women to drink beer, respondents gave their highest score to beer lists and taste descriptions, in both on and off trade (33%). Offering free samples of beer was also viewed as effective across pubs and


supermarkets (27%), while there was also support for a wider selection of beers in the off trade (31%).


Staff recommendation was a strong ‘middle’ choice for many respondents (21% voted it 2nd and 3rd most important), indicating a need to equip bar and store staff with beer knowledge. Beer and food matching received a similar rating (25% of respondents put it in 3rd place), though women felt it would be more effective than men.


A wider selection of beer glassware was seen as only moderately motivating, while providing more information on beers calorie content or health benefits received low scores from both sexes, across on and off trade.


Ros Shiel of Dea Latis, said “We’re delighted that 600 people took the time to complete our survey, a response that we think makes our findings relatively robust. We weren’t surprised that tasting notes and sampling


THREE HOGS BACKS ENGLAND FOR EURO 2016


Surrey craft brewer Hogs Back Brewery is supporting England’s Euro 2016 bid with a specially brewed ale, Three Hogs, available throughout June.


Three Hogs is a quintessentially English golden ale; at 4% ABV, it is brewed with locally grown Fuggles hops, among others, and a selection of English malts.


The pump clip substitutes England’s three lions with three Hogs Back hogs and describes the ale as ‘a beer of two halves’: refreshingly hoppy up front, followed by a balancing bitterness and a hint of sweetness to finish.


Hogs Back Brewery Managing Director Rupert Thompson said, “The Euros are going to be


30 JUNE/JULY 2016


screened in thousands of pubs, with crowds of supporters rooting for England. There’s no better way to toast the team’s triumphs, or commiserate if things don’t quite go their way, than with a pint of refreshing English ale brewed in their honour.


“We’d love to think that Vardy and Kane can lead the England team to Euros victory but, more pragmatically, we’d advise licensees to learn from the national team’s performance over the last 50 trophy-less years, and make sure Three Hogs is on tap for the group stage through to quarter finals, rather than the later matches.”


If England do defy the odds to reach the final, Hogs Back is offering a free pint of beer to any customer who visits its Brewery Shop in Tongham on Saturday 9 July to stock up for


scored highly, but would have expected a higher ranking for beer and food matching.


“Factors such as glassware shouldn’t be considered as unimportant though, just that these respondents rated them as less effective than others in persuading women to try beer.”


Dea Latis, named after the Celtic goddess of beer, was launched in 2010 as a forum where women working in breweries, pubs or related jobs could share insights and experience.


The group now holds a number of beer and food tastings during the year and regularly communicates with around 260 women including brewers, licensees, quality managers, trainers, writers, bloggers and a growing number of interested beer drinkers.


The next Dea Latis event will be a Brewsters Brunch at the Birmingham Beer Bash, taking place on Saturday 23 July from 10 – 11.00 am.


the big match on the Sunday.


Hogs Back Brewery is building a reputation for beers that offer a humorous take on events of national importance. Others that have peppered its seasonal ale programme include ‘Hogswallop’, which has been lubricating pub debate on the EU Referendum during May, and ‘England’s Mourning Glory’, which marked the national rugby team’s early exit from last autumn’s World Cup.


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