Brewers in Norfolk have welcomed a ban on beers with sexist names appearing at the Great British Beer festival, but say the new rule shouldn't be needed.
The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) which organises the annual celebration of beer has banned all drinks with sexist names or packaging from appearing at its London event.
The blanket ban on brews like Dizzy Blonde and Slack Alice follows a survey which found 68pc of female drinkers would be unlikely to buy a beer if it was advertised using sexist imagery.
It also comes after the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) introduced stricter guidelines on sexist beer labelling last year.
In Norfolk, a county which boasts plenty of female brewers, news of the ban has been greeted positively but many said such bans should not have to be enforced.
Dawn Leeder, co-chair of Norwich City of Ale, said: "I think it's a welcome move on the part of CAMRA. 'The times they are a-changin'' but slowly like a lot of these things.
"I think CAMRA has woken up to that fact that this is an issue, especially for female drinkers and young people who are more sensitive to these issues. It's a move that has been a long time coming."
Ms Leeder said she could not think of a brewery in Norfolk using sexist imagery or names to help sell its beer and that with more and more women working in the industry such ploys no longer reflected the industry.
"It's a case of desperate marketing; if the beer is good enough it sells.
"We have a lot of female events in the City of Ale, female brewers, visitors and obviously lots of publicans so we don't really think it's as an issue for us in Norwich."
Rachel Holliday, co-founder of Moon Gazer Ale at Norfolk Brewhouse, said: "I support CAMRA's rule, but still find it annoying that we continue to have these conversations in today's society. Times have changed. Do you really need to use any sexual imagery to sell a beer? I think not."
Ian Stamp, chairman of Norwich and Norfolk CAMRA branch said the move was not a new idea within the industry and not something which was a particular problem in Norfolk, he said: "It's been something that as an organisation we have been against for several years."
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