LGBT Community & Beer

Continuing with a common thread this blog has been on, today's entry tackles another example of a section of our population that is usually overlooked in the beer scene. Having previously shown some amazing women who have found their niche in the business and the perception of African-Americans in the beer scene, today I would like to discuss the LGBT community and its connection to beer.

I cannot recall any major beer producers attempting to market a brand to LGBT scene, and I imagine if they did it would only be slightly less over-the-top as this classic SNL skit:



On the other hand... would a company be doing any favors or truly being progressive by marketing to gays? Would it be sincere or rather a desperate attempt to make money by digging their grip into every possible niche market? This can be a sensitive issue.

There is one brewery in Mexico that is testing the waters...

The Minerva brewery said that the "Artisan Honey-Ales" would appeal to a section of the

beer-drinking public that had so far been snubbed by larger brewers.

"We're out in the market with great respect with the idea of offering a product directed to

the gay-lesbian community that has been ignored for too long but is important and very

demanding", Dario Rodriguez Wyler, commercial manager for distributors Bodega 12,

told the Mexican news agency Efe. [Full article HERE]

In San Diego, CA you can find Hillcrest Brewing Co., the first brewery that is proudly associated with the LGBT community. Checkout their Huffington Post article HERE.

So why is this even an issue? Who cares what gay people drink?

 Members of LGBT community face confrontation on almost every front and it doesn't stop at legal or religious issues. Companies tap into anti-gay sentiment and adjust their marketing to capitalize on sales. Plenty of example can be found over at http://openlygaymarketing.wordpress.com including 2 examples of Miller HERE. When you continue to market beer as a product for close-minded, super macho straight men you create an unwelcoming environment for people living an alternative lifestyle.

Many companies (beverage and others) attempt to make peace with the individuals they offend while simultaneously supporting organizations that wish to limit their freedoms (as seen HERE) but at the root of the problem is the culture of mass marketing.

Small brewers don't feel the need to market to the LGBT community because they are not simultaneously marketing to conservative, anti-gay groups. When you treat people as equals and you avoid hot topics (ie politics, religion) you don't need to resort to cheap and petty marketing strategies.

So do yourself a favor... if you are a male, hetero-sexual beer enthusiast I want you to take a gay friend to your favorite beer bar and introduce them to some great brews. Don't have any gay friends? That is the topic for someone else's blog but as someone who has gone bar-hopping in San Francisco with 2 gay buddies I can tell you that you are missing out on some great times.