Why is it so surprising when women like beer?

So apparently being a woman means absolute confusion and shock when I’m in a pub and order a beer. I’d like to give a sincere apology to all the men and some women out there whom I have baffled with my choice of drink, and who feel the need to double check that I definitely intended to order it. I assure you I meant no harm by ordering a Doombar or a Spitfire and I hope you can accept that sometimes women like to drink beer too, and it’s not that much of an earth shattering idea.

I was in a bar in Manchester once and ordered a beer, and the barman looked super confused rather than just pouring my drink as requested. He then followed this with, “you’re making me feel like a girl now, I normally drink gin”, to which I replied by telling him that I also like gin, but I just fancied a beer today. Is it so odd that a woman may genuinely enjoy the taste of beer?

I mean, I think I still look like a girl?

I always find myself needing to justifying my love for beer by explaining that I grew up with two brothers and my dad, so it was pretty much a given that I’d grow fond of the ale, besides the fact that my mum also enjoys a pint. Also if I mention my mum also likes beer, who knows, maybe their head will explode with the information that two women in one family actually choose to drink beer.

I don’t know why I feel I have to justify it by using the men in my family, when it’s plain and simple – I like drinking beer. Boobs and beer can live in perfect harmony.

Two women in the same family having a pint. No way!

There’s been several other occasions in pubs where I’ve had a reaction to my beer ordering. One barman asked me a few times what it was I wanted and then said something along the lines of “I thought that’s what you said, but I didn’t think someone like you would be ordering that.”

Again, is it such a ridiculous idea that I just wanted a beer? A similar reaction occurred when I was in Devon, and my friend and I ordered two Exmoor Beast Ales, with a reaction of “I never thought I’d be serving two girls Exmoor beast”. Yeah it’s a fairly heavy beer, but is also one of the nicest I’ve had. Why is the fact that I’m a girl ordering it so strange to people still?

Pints can be pretty too.

Last time I ordered a pint with someone in a pub, the comment was instead “I thought you’d be ordering something girly like a cider”. How cider is a girly drink I’m still not quite sure, it’s not like it’s made of flowers and pink and everything sparkly (or anything else which girls supposedly must like).

My friend then ordered a “girly cider” for himself, but the bar lady put the beer down in front of him and the cider in front of me. To this, I reached across, looked at her and took a big old sip of my beer. Why immediately assume the beer is for him? That sip and look itself was definitely an ‘I showed you’ moment, but in all honesty the first sip of beer always tastes like a victory in life.

Admittedly I’ve had some mixed reviews on my pint drinking in general. My sister-in-law even tried to ban me from having a pint at her wedding because she said I had to be classy and act like a girl for once. Of course I ignored this and had a pint in hand/all over the floor.

I’ve even been told by someone that they like me because I’m not afraid to buy a pint. I mean I’ve not had a very adventurous life, but I’m sure I’ve done scarier things than order a pint – it’s a fairly simple task and hardly one to praise me for. It’s not like I start shaking and come out in hives at the mere thought of uttering the words “I’d like a pint of Guinness please”.

You’re telling me that’s not classy?!

The reactions I’ve received sometimes make you wonder whether the guys who are always so shocked think that a girl will take one sip of a pint and immediately grow a penis. Are they shocked when girls order other drinks too, or is it just beer that apparently is strange for women to drink? Sometimes you’d think I’d asked them for a piss in a pint glass with the way they look at you. I just like beer, now please let me enjoy my pint without the look of shock horror or any questions as to why I have ordered it in the first place.