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A glass of white wine for the lady? It's a comedy cliche but chances are when you're choosing a drink, wine or a classic G&T top the list. And if you order a pint of anything, it's more likely to be cider than ale.

But with National Cask Ale Week from March 29 to April 5, beer is making a comeback, with Annabel Smith, the UK's only female beer inspector leading the charge for female ale-lovers - whose numbers have doubled in the past 12 months, to 1.2 million regular cask ale drinkers.

'Basically, a lot of women are "conditioned" by society, by their mothers, particularly by advertising and marketing, that beer is not a woman's drink. But many women have misconceptions about it. They think it's unfeminine to drink beer, they think it's fattening - yet it is the least calorific drink they can order across a bar - and they think they won't like the taste.

'If a woman says to me, "I don't like beer", I respond that they just haven't found the right type of beer. It's like saying "I don't like food". Women have more sensitive bitter taste buds on their tongue than men, and if their first experience of beer is a very bitter, heavily hopped beer, they never go back to it.'

Annabel first got involved in the industry after running a small pub, before spending four years teaching people how to pour the perfect pint of Guinness.

'I became increasingly disgruntled with the way cask ale had been hijacked by a select minority of drinkers - you know the type? Male, bearded, overweight etc - if you wore make-up and a dress you definitely didn't drink beer, and I thought this was all skewed.

'As in any job, I have targets and objectives, but I also have a personal mission to rid cask ale of its stereotypical image and shout out that there are lots of people like me who enjoy drinking beer, love the variety, love the friendliness of cask ale pubs - and wear lipstick!'

So if you want to dip your toe into ale drinking, does it mean those traditional 'old-man' pubs? No, says Annabel. 'Female-friendly chains such as Slug and Lettuce, Ember Inns, Chef and Brewer, Village Hotels are investing heavily in the category.

'Never be afraid to ask for a sample. Any cask pub worth its salt will give you a taster before you buy. Many women like milds because they are sweeter. If you are a novice, try something pale and floral, such as Caledonian Deuchars IPA. This isn't going to blow your tastebuds out of the water, but is a good starter beer. Or something strong and sweet like Theakstons Old Peculier, Adnams Broadside or Wychwood Hobgoblin, with shades of toffee.

'Interestingly, I judged on the Society of Independent Brewers 2010 taste panel a couple of months ago and one beer blew me away - Saltaire's Triple Chocoholic Stout. It was like drinking a pint of Cadbury's Dairy Milk. I challenge any woman to try this and dislike it. It is truly amazing.'

Whether you like a particular beer will depend, of course, on your own tastes, but Annabel says that signs of a good ale include floral, grassy, grapefruit, toffee, Horlicks, biscuit, peach, pineapple or banana flavours.

But steer clear of anything that tastes vinegary, flat, medicinal, yeasty like Marmite or of sweetcorn or ketchup. That's a sure sign it's not a good beer - so don't judge them all by a pint like this.