Recently on my Twitter feed, a fellow tweeter wrote a review about an imperial stout and said it is “not your average chick beer.”  A few female tweeters chimed in and asked what exactly is a “chick beer?” He replied that there was not really a chick beer per se but some women would not enjoy the taste of the particular one he was drinking for its higher alcohol content and complex body. Other men and women joined the thread and agreed that anybody can like any beer and there should not be any labels. Unfortunately, society has labeled the all-malt, imitation fruit beer, and any really fruity beer for that matter, as a “chick beer.” I hear all too often: “This is what my girlfriend drinks,” or “Girls only like the sweet stuff.” 

Zima, the first “malternative” beverage was launched in 1994 at the height of the clear beverage craze. Coors produced the sweet, all-malt beer, which was actually marketed to men as a more “manly” alternative to then popular Boone’s Farm wines. One 1994 commercial depicted young coeds grilling fish and enjoying ice cold Zimas out of a cooler. It was “zomething different”. Zima turned out to be very successful its first year release selling an astonishing 1.3 million barrels. A year later sales started to fall and it gained its reputation as a very unmanly beverage. Late night talk show host David Letterman constantly used it as the punch line of his jokes. Desperate to keep the male audience, Coors pitched Zima commercials with football and a lighthearted dancing, they even released Zima Gold with a slightly higher alcohol percent and a bourbon and Coke flavor, but that died very quickly. All Zima production ended in 2008 to make way for the brief era of caffeinated malt beverages like Sparks and Four Loko.

Seeing a market for malternatives, and a way to get around television advertising laws against alcohol and wine, the Smirnoff Corporation and the United Distillers and Vintners released Smirnoff Ice in 1999. The first was Smirnoff Ice Original, again targeted to men with a commercial about two guys trying to coax a grizzly beer away from their cooler of Smirnoff Ice. One guy makes the “smooth move” of dousing his buddy in honey to distract the hungry beast while he sits back with a cold one. It turned into a massive success and to this day, it is the number one selling malternative with 22 flavors including a higher alcohol “black” version, classic mixed cocktails and frozen drink pouches.

The same year Smirnoff Ice came out, Mike’s Hard Lemonade debuted on April 1. It gave us the concept of not just creating an all-malt beverage, but simply taking a drink already considered refreshing, like lemonade and iced tea, and premixing it with alcohol for easy consumption. The idea was brilliant and the brand took off. Early commercials appealed to the male crowd with one showing two rugged woodsmen, one accidentally cutting his foot off. They make it all better by going out to enjoy a Mike’s. Bacardi joined the malternative bandwagon in 2002 with Bacardi Sliver, which showcased the popular cocktail of the time, the mojito.

All of these brands made the valiant effort to appeal to the working man and give them an alternative to the everyday beer, they were never intended to be “chick beers.” On the contrary, I frequently witness females scouring my beer section for good, full-flavored brews, opting for hoppy IPAs and robust stouts. On the other end of the spectrum, I see some guys grabbing lighter brews, like Shock Top, Blue Moon and even Mike’s Hard Lemonade, while their girlfriends get Sam Adams or Yuengling. But as the saying goes, “All beer is brewed equal.”

Adam Shugan, ABC Fine Wine & Spirits beer consultant - Gainesville

Follow me on Twitter @abcbeeradams