Bid to make ales 'women-friendly'

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Brewers of real ale should join forces with publicans to make the drink more appealing to women, a campaign group has said.

The Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) says 80% of female drinkers have never tried a pint of bitter in a pub.

The group is calling on brewers to target more marketing at women, who now make up a quarter of its 87,000 members.

Camra's first-ever chairwoman said beer marketing was at times "patronising".

Paula Waters said most adverts for beer were biased towards male drinkers: "When is the last time you saw any press or TV advert for beer which is meant to attract women?

"At best they are inoffensively aimed at men and at worst they are downright patronising to women."

Despite concerns that women are not ordering real ale when drinking in pubs, figures show the market for bitter sold in shops rose last year.

Analysts TNS Worldpanel said bottled ale sales increased by 8.4% in 2006, following a 0.2% fall in 2005.

Camra's research coincides with the opening of its Great British Beer Festival at the Earl's Court exhibition centre in London, which runs until 11 August.