Advertising Age reported on a patronizing promotion
from Miller Lite—Ale Wives—saluting White women in brewing. The stunt
spotlights Mary Lisle, noted as the first female brewer in
America.
Okay, but
what about all the Black women who helped the American beer industry grow and
thrive through slavery? Who the hell does Miller Lite think
was harvesting hops?
(It should
also be noted that one of the first Black brewers is identified as Peter Hemings—who was a slave owned by Thomas
Jefferson, along with his sister, Sally Hemings [no comment]—and that he crafted beer around 1820.
Given that Lisle is credited with running her Philadelphia brewery in 1734, it
shows how White women achieved a beer milestone roughly 100 years before
Blacks.)
Regardless,
it’s also highly hypocritical for a women’s tribute to come from the brand that
brought you bikini catfights and breast-and-body painting.
See How
Miller Lite Redesigned Cans To Honor Women In Brewing
Limited-time cans honor pioneering female brewer Mary Lisle
via 'There’s no beer without women' campaign
By Yadira
Gonzalez
This Fourth of
July, rather than praise America’s founding fathers, Miller Lite will honor the
“Ale Wives,” releasing limited-edition cans in homage to the forgotten women
who brought beer to America.
The Molson
Coors-owned brand will produce a limited supply of its classic white cans that
carry the name Mary Lisle instead of Miller Lite, as a way to honor the woman
whom the brand describes as the “country’s first recorded female brewer and her
revolutionary contributions to the American brewing industry.”
In 1734, Lisle
ran a Philadelphia brewery, but “through time, women were excluded from the
industry as others saw an opportunity to cash in on the nation’s love of beer,
forcing most women out of the business altogether,” according to Miller Lite.
‘Ale Wives’
Cans include Lisle’s name and face, the tagline “There’s no
beer without women,” as well as a brief history of Lisle’s contributions to the
beer industry.
“When people think of beer, they think of men; there are
very few people who realize that we actually have women to thank for beer in
America,” Elizabeth Hitch, senior director of marketing for Miller Lite, said
in a statement. The phrase “Ale Wives” is a historical term referring to women
who made beer—Miler Lite calls them “the unsung heroes who brought beer to
America in the first place.” According to the brand, a recent poll found that
only 3% of Americans know that fact.
Agencies on the project include DDB and Alma and Molson
Coors PR agency ICF Next.
The cans come
during peak beer drinking season: Fourth of July weekend has been known to
prompt more beer purchases than any other holiday, given that many families and
friends gather for cookouts, according to the National Beer
Wholesalers Association. Americans spend more than $1 billion on Fourth
of July beer and wine, according to the WalletHub. Miller Lite
sees the holiday as the perfect time to school drinkers en masse on women in
beer history.
“There’s
no better time to celebrate and put women back into the history books of beer
than on the single largest beer selling weekend in America,” Hitch said.
Miller
Lite will donate $5 for each case purchased on the online retail sites Drizly
and Instacart from June 27 to July 4 to the nonprofit organization Pink Boots
Society, which inspires and supports women in the brewing
profession. Miller Lite is pledging up to $250,000 to the nonprofit.
Men
dominate the industry, making up 76% of craft brewery owners according to
findings from the Brewers Association, a craft beer trade group.
“Women
played a pivotal role in bringing beer to America as the first brewers here and
are often underrepresented in the industry,” Erin Wallace, Pink Boot Society
Board Member, said in a statement, adding that the group's mission “is to
assist, inspire and encourage women and non-binary individuals in the fermented
beverage industry through education.”
Fans
can get their hands on Mary Lisle cans by attending an event hosted by Miller
Lite in Lisle’s hometown of Philadelphia at the Devil’s Den bar on June 30,
where it will be unveiling the limited-time cans. Like many other Miller Lite
campaigns, the brand will run a sweepstakes, giving drinkers a chance to
win a limited edition Mary Lisle two-pack. Those who are 21 years or older can
enter by visiting millerlite.com/marylisle through July
4.
