When it comes to the female drinker, beer fails to appeal for so many reasons.

It's an issue which divides people and tends to generate strong feelings. The subject: women and beer.

For the past 15 years, in addition to writing about beer, my work has included presenting beer tastings in supermarkets and liquor stores. In that time I've met innumerable women who have declined my offer of a tasting with the reply, "No thanks, I don't like beer", or "Thanks, but I don't drink beer". As someone who loves beer for its diversity of flavours and styles, I find that very sad, but entirely understandable.

When it comes to the female drinker, beer fails to appeal for so many reasons.

First there's the negative media stereotype. How often do we see news stories about alcohol abuse, beer illustrated with images of overweight, unshaven, blue-collar workers drinking jugs of beer? Then, if the story is actually about beer, there are the inevitable references to "swilling", a reminder of the dark old days of "the six o'clock swill", when Kiwi men would spend an hour after work drinking as much beer as possible before heading home inebriated and stinking.

Is it any surprise then that so many women find beer such a big turn-off?

Then there's the manner in which beer is marketed. For as long as I can remember our largest brewers – the only ones with pockets deep enough to promote their products – have targeted their advertising almost exclusively at men. With themes of "mateship" and loyalty, endless marketing campaigns have sought to woo the male drinker, but done nothing for his female counterpart. By constantly featuring boorish behaviour, bloke-ish tribalism or, worse still, overt smuttiness, I'm convinced they've alienated a huge number of New Zealand women and turned them against beer.

I can't think of any other industry which would voluntarily and so consistently antagonise 50 per cent of its potential market. Is it dumb, or what?

And then there are the beers themselves. The mainstream Kiwi brands and the majority of so-called "premium" international lagers are mildly flavoured thirst quenchers which are designed for maximum sessionability rather than interesting flavour. They may be cold and refreshing, but they're also boring and bloating. Little wonder, then, that most Kiwi women choose a drink with more flavour and interest, like wine, spirits, or cocktails.

But New Zealand isn't the only place where beer is seldom the drink of choice of the fairer sex. It's exactly the same story in Britain and the United States, where decades of media stereotyping, blinkered marketing and equally bland mainstream beers have had the same result. But finally there are some encouraging moves from within the brewing industry.

On its recently opened website the Beer Genie, the British Beer and Pub Association says, "the reason that women don't drink as much beer as men is a combination of misconceptions, myopic macho marketing, a lack of information and the way it is served". The website then tackles the myth that women prefer milder-tasting beer styles, or those with fruity flavours: "One could suggest fruit beers, golden ales, wheat beers and light, easy-drinking lagers. But that would be to suggest that women don't have the palate or the ability to enjoy `bigger' beers. And that, of course, would be a load of old sexist rhubarb. Fact is, female palettes [sic] differ very little from those of men and it's a fallacy that bitterness is all a bit too much for female tastebuds. Dark chocolate? Vinaigrette? Olives? Espresso? All are regularly lured into a lady's laughing gear, and beer's no different." How very true!

In an attempt to gain a female perspective on beer, a fortnight ago The Marlborough Express invited a dozen female readers who don't normally drink beer to collect and sample two new Kiwi beers that have been designed by women and are targeted at the novice female beer drinker. The only condition was that the women would agree to evaluate the beers and answer some general questions on the subject of beer. The results, which are still coming in, are most interesting. All will be revealed next week.

In the meantime, now's a good time to get your tickets for the country's leading public beer tasting event – Beervana.

In addition to a range of 200 beers from 80-plus breweries throughout New Zealand and Australia, there'll be live brewing demonstrations and each session will also include tutored tastings and beer and food matching seminars. This year the event has relocated to Wellington's Westpac Stadium and takes place on August 5 and 6. Full details and tickets are available online at beervana.co.nz Cheers!