Misogyny among us...

Sometimes beer drinkers scare me. I know, I know, for the most part we're all pretty decent, open-minded individuals who recognize in each other a common love for the finest beverage malted barley can produce. But every so often you get a review like this one:

UFO Raspberry Hefeweizen from Harpoon Brewery. From pouring the beer and smelling it, you think your getting some fruit juice. Once you take a drink you can taste the wheat and has a slight bitter taste, its not what you think you are getting. There is a nice aftertaste of fruit. I’m not really sure you can call it raspberry, but it is fruity. It is not overpowering like some other raspberry beers. This would be great for your girlfriend, or maybe after dinner. As far as raspberry beers go, this was one of my favorites.

Emphasis is mine.

Are you serious, anonymous beer blogger? Are you really assuming that my girlfriend only drinks fruity, inoffensive, middle-of-the-road brews that she doesn't really have to think about? That's incredibly back-assward. It's kind of like saying this IPA would be great for a college professor: maybe it would, but how on earth would you know?

For the record, my girlfriend enjoys Belgian quads, English-style brown ales, and crisp lambics. That is, of course, when she's not drinking cabernet or prosecco. In fact, most of the women I know drink IPAs, stouts, porters, and hoppy pale ales like Sierra Nevada.

I'm not saying women shouldn't enjoy this beer -- hell, I love me some RazUFO in the summer by the pool -- but rather that we shouldn't label this a "girl beer" any more than we should label ANY beer a "girl beer." It's silly and prejudiced, and it does not advance beer advocacy in the slightest.

You'll notice that I didn't link to this particular blog, and I won't because I'm betting this was an honest mistake. I don't want to harp on this particular individual too much, but I do want to make everyone aware that this attitude still exists in beer culture, and that we need to be mindful of it. Next time you hear someone call a brew "girly," take the opportunity to educate them.