BrewDog's mock Pink IPA 'beer for girls' splits opinion

6 March 2018

Brewdog Two bottle of the Pink IPA and beer being poured into a glass

BrewDog has made a mock "beer for girls", saying "enough is enough with stereotypes".

Pink IPA - a spoof of their beer Punk IPA - has a pink label and will be sold to women for a lower price than men.

The brewer says it's a sarcastic way to address the gender pay gap and have a dig at "lazy" marketing campaigns.

Some have criticised BrewDog's joke while others have praised them for donating some of their profits to women's charities.

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"This has the right motivations but the wrong execution," one woman tweeted.

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The brewer launched the beer ahead of International Women's Day on Thursday 8 March.

As part of the campaign for the next four weeks, people who "identify as female" will be able to pick up Pink IPA in any BrewDog bar for 20% less.

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And responding to the gender pay gap, 20% of the proceeds from Pink IPA and Punk IPA will be donated to charities that fight inequality and support women.

There was some defence for the brewer.

@RachelCDailey A woman defends Brewdog's Pink IPA campaign on Twitter

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Others thought the best way to respond was with more #sarcasm.

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BrewDog's global head of marketing Sarah Warman said: "The fact that the gender pay gap is still an issue in 2018 shows that a lot of lip service is being paid, but not enough action is being taken to tackle inequality.

"With Pink IPA, we are making a statement the only way we know how - with beer."

By creating a stereotypically pink label, the company says it is having a dig at other campaigns to target women.

"Pink IPA is clearly an over-the-top ridiculing of the types of sexist marketing we often see from brands trying to engage a female audience," Sarah added.

"We always anticipated that some people might not immediately appreciate the irony of Pink IPA but that did not deter us in our mission to spark a conversation about the gender pay gap."

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