When I used to think about beer, I used to get a stereotypical image in my head of a man, sitting at a pub, chewing on a succulent medium rare steak with chips, having fun with the boys. I used to think of men sitting at home, watching TV ads (in between their football game) showing attractive women serving beers to an all male clientele. Perhaps even wearing a flannelette shirt. A few spills here and there, and perhaps the token line "Honey, can you grab me another one?".
Beer was for men - perhaps a Corona today, Heineken tomorrow, and a Budweiser on Friday; wine was for women.
It's amazing how things have changed.
It's no longer 'cool' to be bragging about how you have got a Budweiser beer in your esky. It's ok to eat something other than a meat pie or steak with your beer. And yes, men do drink wine and women do drink beer.
And women are starting to wear flannelette shirts.
With this change, comes new research: the beer market is no longer just for men.
What do women want? Do men still love beer?
A new research done by Australian beer company James Squire has found that 84 per cent of Australians would rather purchase locally sourced food rather than buying imported products - because they taste better. Furthermore, 84 per cent of respondants think about the origin of their groceries before purchasing, while a further 80 per cent seek Australian grown produce when on supermarket shelves. Down south, 93 per cent of Tasmanians take into account where their food comes, from while 82 per cent of South Australians do the same.
More than half of Australians are willing to pay up to 20 per cent more for good quality local produce. Seven per cent said they would be willing to pay over 50 per cent more.
Based on the results they received, James Squires' chief brewer Tony Jones said sourcing local ingredients to create its brew showed James Squire had the right idea.
"We are always looking for ways to work with native producers to source the highest quality hops and freshest ingredients to make our James Squire brews," he said.
"We recognise that the different varieties of herbs and spices found locally can often add an extra dimension to the beer and give the consumer a whole new flavour experience."
Sorry Mr. Budweiser...
Based on the belief that locally and seasonally sourced produce is the best, head chef and owner of Danks Street Depot, Jared Ingersoll, joined forces with James Squire to create exclusive recipes that utilise locally sourced ingredients to match the varying flavours in James Squire's beers.
Instead of the traditional meat pie or steak and chips, Ingersoll recommended people be creative and perhaps eat spiced chocolate mouse with a James Squire Porter or salt baked chicken with a Golden Ale.
Sorry Mr. Meat Pie...
Furthermore, the survey found that men are still the big beer drinkers with results showing that 27 per cent of women and 72 per cent of men drink beer during barbecues. Despite women still being the lower number, other brands such as Pure Blonde have been fighting to get a piece of the female market, a number that has increased in the past decade.
All in all, the maths behind the best way to sell beer and to whom is ever changing as time goes by; the one equation that stays the same, is that outsourcing is out, local is in.
It truly does pay to be Aussie made.
