Lidl is raising a glass to equality with the launch of the first ever gender-balanced beer aisle, giving equal shelf space to beers brewed by women and female-owned breweries.
And it's Scottish brewers who are leading the charge, including Glasgow’s WEST, Edinburgh’s Stewart Brewing and Innis & Gunn, Dundee’s 71 Brewing, Aberdeen’s Fierce and the Highlands’ Loch Lomond Brewing.
Rolling out across 112 Scottish stores from Thursday 28 August, the move reflects a brewing industry that’s in transformation, while paying tribute to its roots.
Historically, beer-making was considered ‘women’s work’. In households across Scotland women brewed beer as a safer alternative to water.
As brewing became commercialised, women’s presence diminished, their contributions often limited to keeping breweries running during the World Wars or appearing in advertising - including the infamous Tennent’s Lager Lovelies, where negligee-clad women adorned lager tins.
Today, Lidl is writing a new chapter in the history of women in brewing, and paving the way for future generations too.
Alongside its gender-balanced beer aisle, 50p from every beer sold in the retailer’s Scottish Favourites line-up will fund the Lidl Scholarship at Heriot-Watt University’s International Centre of Brewing and Distilling, supporting a female brewer to qualify at a commercial level.
Female-brewed beers that will have proceeds donated to the Lidl Scholarship include flavoursome Scottish brews such as 71 Brewing’s Peachy Radler (3% ABV), Fierce’s Fancy Juice IPA (5%), Innis & Gunn’s Tequila Cask Blonde (5.1% ABV) and Loch Lomond’s Big Mango Sour, Orange & Passionfruit (8% ABV).
Lidl’s gender parity initiative is being marked with a striking ‘pourtrait’ - a unique photograph that celebrates the leadership, commitment and craft of six of the nation’s leading female brewers.
Mara Bäcker Scott, senior buying manager of Beer at Lidl GB, said: "This is a significant moment in retail history, and one we’re incredibly proud to lead.
"Lidl’s mission has always been to deliver exceptional quality and value, and through our sourcing and supplier strategy we’ve had the privilege of working with brilliant women at the forefront of the craft beer scene.
“Women have been an integral part of beer-making for centuries, and today they bring extraordinary skill, creativity and quality to every stage of the process.
"To be able to showcase that talent on our shelves, and know that every sale will help create the first-ever Lidl Scholarship for a future female brewer, is a moment we’re thrilled to share with Lidl customers.”
Craft beers brewed by women where 50p from each purchase will go towards the Lidl Scholarship include:
| Brewery | Beer | ABV | Format | Price |
| 71 Brewing | Radler Peachy | 3% | 440ml | £1.59 |
| 71 Brewing | Super Massive Black Hole Stout | 7.2% | 440ml | £2.19 |
| Stewart Brewing | Jurassic Guava Infused Hazy IPA | 5% | 440ml | £1.89 |
| Stewart Brewing | Fresh Hops of Bel-Air West Coast IPA | 6.5% | 440ml | £1.99 |
| WEST | Velo Lemon Radler | 2.7% | 330ml | £1.19 |
| WEST | Wild WEST Unfiltered Lager | 4.9% | 440ml | £1.89 |
| Fierce | Dubai Chocolate Pistachio Stout | 6.5% | 440ml | £1.99 |
| Fierce | Fancy Juice IPA | 5% | 440ml | £1.89 |
| Fierce | Iron Brew Beer Cooler | 4.5% | 440ml | £1.89 |
| Innis & Gunn | Lager Beer | 4.6% | 10 x 440ml | £13.16 |
| Innis & Gunn | Ossian | 4.1% | 10 x 440ml | £11.73 |
| Innis & Gunn | Tequila Cask Blonde | 5.1% | 330ml | £1.59 |
| Loch Lomond | Big Mango Sour, Orange & Passionfruit | 8% | 440ml | £2.29 |
| Loch Lomond | Silvereye NZ DDH Pale | 4.7% | 440ml | £1.89 |
Find out more via the Lidl website here.
