U.K. Brewers Try to Tap Women's Market

British beer sales fell about 4.5% in the second quarter to 7.85 million barrels from 8.22 million barrels in the second quarter a year earlier, according to the British Beer & Pub Association.

Trying to halt a big decline in beer
sales, some brewers in the U.K. are reaching out to a largely
untapped group of customers: women. Beer's main competitors are wine
and vodka, which both have become more popular with women in the past
six years. A big reason is that women regard beer as fattening,

Coors, based in Denver and Montreal,
aims to launch additional beers aimed at women in the next year or
two. Coors recently began selling its Blue Moon label in London pubs.
The beer, which hadn't been available before in the U.K., is aimed at
women with touches like serving it with an orange slice to accentuate
its fruity taste. In the U.S., Blue Moon is mostly consumed by men,
where it is also served with an orange slice. Coors is encouraging
bar staffs in the U.K. to experiment with how they serve the slices.

Greene King PLC, a 209-year-old brewer
based in the east English county of Suffolk, launched a beer for
women called St Edmunds in October. St Edmunds is stored colder than
most beers, giving it a crisp taste that appeals to women, a
spokeswoman says.

In targeting female drinkers, the beer
industry also risks a backlash from its most loyal customers, men.
Some brewers are trying to strike a delicate balance in promoting
beers as "unisex" to try to attract female drinkers without
losing male ones.