Inspire, Incite, Revile- What’s in a name? What’s in a campaign?

This week social media was aflutter reacting to a new Czech Beer Aurosa. When I hear ‘Czech beer’ the first thing that comes to mind is a traditional, exquisite Czechoslovakian Pilsener. That however is not quite what Aurosa is. The backlash has been tremendous. Why? Perhaps less due to the name, or even style of the brew than the campaign.

One visit to the web page immediately lets the visitor know that Aurosa is a sophisticated and elegant premium beer representing a collaboration of art (as witnessed in the marble like design of the bottle) and the craftsmanship of the brewer that breaks stereotypes and benefits local small artists. Wow! On the surface this seems just fine, as most craft beer folks enjoy supporting local businesses and artists. As one navigates the site, things take an intriguing turn, one that is potentially fraught with deeper meaning, and that is what has the craft beer twitterverse quite agitated.

Aurosa is advertised as a beer crafted specifically for a woman, embracing (and copyrighting) the tagline, “First Beer for Her”, #Beerforher. I am a woman. Do I need a beer brewed specifically just for me??? Hmmm….  On the website I am informed that this beer represents the tenderness of a young lady, and the strength and perseverance of women that succeed in any venue, whilst never sacrificing femininity. Lofty ideals for a beer. As expected the response was a range of rants mostly along the lines of ‘women drink the same beer as men’, which is absolutely true. Other (not unexpected) interpretations of what the name actually means (no it isn’t sexual) were also floating about. I am not the first to take up the conversation of women and beer marketing. Morgan Childs wrote a lovely expose on this topic a few months ago addressing statistics, women, styles, and preferences where she briefly touched upon the controversial Aurosa brand.

It is easy to be gender-offended but I wanted to dig a bit more and think it through before determining my emotional vs. logical response to this new (?) beer- which has technically been around since November of 2015. The first thing I discovered was that this beer might in fact be quite pleasant. A strong, unfiltered, semi-dark (Vienna malt) lager, if well-made is quite appealing. I am always willing to try a new beer- the stumbling block in this case isn’t the beer, but the campaign that reviles so many. The most significant factor to me however is the brewer/founder, Martina Smirova. Yes, a woman who happens to have three Master’s Degrees- all centered on business and marketing. This was her idea, her dream fulfilled, working in collaboration with other women also trying to make their artistic goals a reality. Without an interview, which I am currently trying to secure, I must surmise her true objective based on my research of Ms. Smirova. Considering her resume and business partnerships with various (female) artists, I honestly don’t see malintent. There appears to be no femme fatale, or a misogynistic angle here at all. I see a businesswoman trying to find her niche in the industry.

Czecholslovakia (now The Czech Republic) has a long history of strong, smart, independent women like Vera Laska, the famed resistance fighter that once topped Hitler’s most wanted list. That hasn’t changed. Based on what little I know of Ms. Smirova, I would glean that she is very capable, quite independent, and clearly intelligent. After all, no publicity is bad publicity now is it? Good or bad, Aurosa is the topic of conversation, now garnering very strong name recognition. Perhaps this was her strategy all along?
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Author: brewedinmaryland

Historian, author, craft beer lover. View all posts by brewedinmaryland