January is a time for new directions, resolutions, and change. Along those lines, I’ve got a suggestion for brewers: Make 2008 the year you discover women.

Beer marketing reeks of testosterone. The staples include sports, cowboys, rappers—male rappers—big powerful animals, physical labor, and frat-boy humor. When women appear, they’re either carrying a tray of beers or standing around looking beautiful. Miller Lite’s “Catfight” ad of a few years ago took things to over-the-top heights when two models, arguing about the beer’s tagline (“Tastes great, less filling”) ripped each other’s clothes off and mud-wrestled.

That ad stirred criticism for its blatant sexism (I actually found it puckishly self-referential), but it was much more notable for showing women being clearly interested in beer. Women make up a not-insignificant 25 percent of the beer market; they are supposedly the reason beer comes in six-packs rather than eight-packs—a sixer was presumed to be as much weight as a woman would feel comfortable carrying in one hand—and are often credited (or blamed) for the success of light beer. Yet judging by the world portrayed in advertising, brewers think that women don’t like beer, and brewers large and small continue to largely ignore the female demographic in their marketing plans.

There’s some evidence that this impression may be changing. A recent article on Miller Brewing’s Brew Blog noted six trends in the beer market; “feminization” was No. 5. “Marketing should be inclusive of women,” the writer advised. “And there is an obvious corollary, which at times has been forgotten in the beer business: Advertising shouldn’t be offensive to women.”

When I talked to Anheuser-Busch about the female side of the market, it gave a pretty P.R.-perfunctory response. “Women love beer for many of the same reasons men do,” said Keith Levy, the brewery’s vice president for brand management. The company offers a variety of products for women, he says: “Whether it’s a light beer, a low-calorie beer, a refreshing beer to savor, or those that have a hint of fruit or sweetness, women have several brands to choose from within the A-B portfolio.”

They’re talking the talk, but where’s the walk? Sure, women can choose from among the beers already out there. But “If you build it, they will come,” works only with ball fields and dead athletes; beer’s got to be pitched. Miller at least sounds as though it understands the theory: You have to include women in your marketing plan, not just be aware that some of them might like products you already have.

Craft brewers have been less sexist in their advertising—maybe because they haven’t had much money for advertising to begin with—but still, very little of their marketing has been geared toward women. Instead, their ads center on the beer itself, which is great, but craft brewing is largely a man’s world (about 1 percent of craft brewers are women) and the message the ads project reflects that: These are big manly beers, not beers for sissies.

So here are some New Year’s solutions for brewers large or small who want to break into a market that’s thirsty for attention.

1. Hire a woman to market your beer to women. Enough said.

2. Clean up your act. You don’t go out of your way to offend ethnic groups or gays, so why make ads that belittle women? Make ones you’d be proud to show to your daughter.

3. Play up beer’s positive aspects. Beer is low in alcohol. Beer is consistent from year to year. Beer is all-natural. Beer comes fresh from the tap or in inexpensive single-serving bottles. Beer tastes great.

4. Talk about food. It worked for wine; it can work for beer. Anheuser-Busch has been doing a lot of work in this area and has a beautiful new cookbook out called Great Food, Great Beer. Some nice glassware will help too: New Belgium Brewing has created the Worthy Glass program, selling and giving away glasses specially designed to enhance the beer drinker’s experience.

Selling beer to women is a great idea. Half the market is being undersold.