A Girly Girl's Guide to Beer

Ever taken a break from sipping your vodka cranberry and looked around all at the guys in the bar drinking pints of their favorite ales, and wondered what the appeal is? Beer, normally drank in conjunction with males, seemingly offers nothing but ‘beer goggles’, ‘beer muscles’ and stale breath. Why convert? Because beer is slowly becoming a woman’s drink of choice, guys just gave it its reputation first.

According a ‘Wall Street Journal’ article, the Molson Coors Brewing Company set up a special project codenamed Eve, to come up with suitable beers for women in an attempt to tap into a different sector of drinkers. Other brewing companies have accepted the same challenge.

So straddle up to a bar stool and order one of these cold ones.

Blue Moon. This Belgian White beer is brewed with white wheat, oats, coriander, and orange peel to give it a citrusy edge. It’s generally served with an orange to help bring out the orange citrus flavor. Just like your wardrobe, Blue Moon has seasonal beers as well. In addition to its staple, Blue Moon also offers Rising Moon Spring Ale (substitute lime flavor for orange), Honey Moon Summer Ale (the sweetest of the seasons), Harvest Moon Pumpkin Ale (any beer with a pumpkin undertone can do no wrong in my opinion), and Full Moon Winter Ale (perhaps the least girly due to its richness).

Hoegaarden. As the prefix to the name suggest, this is a good beer for all girl beer haters (kidding!). Like Blue Moon, this Belgian beer is made with wheat, coriander, and orange peels. Also like the Blue Moon it is traditionally served with an orange to bring out those citrusy flavors women are so fond of. If you can find it also try, Hoegaarden Forbidden Fruit, a sweeter beer but don’t be fooled the 8.8% alcohol content isn’t for the weak. Said to originally be brewed for a local town festival, this beer gained overnight popularity.

Pete’s Strawberry Blonde. A recent favorite of mine, this beer is made with wheat malts, cluster hops, and a hint of strawberry. Another fav from this company is Pete’s Wicked Mardi Gras, which should be drank with caution since it has basically the same effect as the actual event.

Apricot Pyramid Ale. Brewed with barley, wheat, hops, and a balance of apricot, this brew has won numerous awards for being the best of the fruit beers.

Blue Point Blueberry Ale. Even if you don’t like blueberries (because I don’t), this particular beer has always been the hands down favorite of mine and yes, even my guy friends. The Blue Point Brewing Company out of Long Island guarantees that each batch is made with 132 pounds of fresh blueberries.

Captain Lawrence Pumpkin Ale. Although you have to wait until the fall to taste this little gem the wait is definitely worth it. With a distinct pumpkin flavor, and sugar and cinnamon to garnish the rim this may be the ultimate girly beer. Guys don’t get discouraged away; the sugar and cinnamon are optional. Brewed out of Pleasantville, New York, the light combination of hops and spice make it exactly what the town’s name itself suggest: pleasant.

Stuck at a bar that caters to its male clientele? Consider these: Bud Light Lime, Miller Lite, and Michelob Ultra, all calorie cautious.