Australian beer
Encyclopedia
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
arrived in Australia at the beginning of British colonisation
Colonisation
Colonization occurs whenever any one or more species populate an area. The term, which is derived from the Latin colere, "to inhabit, cultivate, frequent, practice, tend, guard, respect", originally related to humans. However, 19th century biogeographers dominated the term to describe the...
. In 2004, Australia was ranked fourth internationally in per capita beer consumption, at around 110 litres per year, though considerably lower in terms of total per capita alcohol consumption. The most popular beer style in modern day Australia is lager
Lager
Lager is a type of beer made from malted barley that is brewed and stored at low temperatures. There are many types of lager; pale lager is the most widely-consumed and commercially available style of beer in the world; Pilsner, Bock, Dortmunder Export and Märzen are all styles of lager...
.
The oldest brewery still in operation is the Cascade Brewery
Cascade Brewery
Cascade Brewery is the oldest continually operating brewery in Australia. It is based in South Hobart, Tasmania. The Cascade estate was founded beside the clean water of the Hobart Rivulet in 1824 by Peter Degraves, an entrepreneur who emigrated from England...
, established in Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
in 1824. Except for the family-owned Coopers
Coopers Brewery
Coopers Brewery is an Australian beer company. Its shares are primarily owned by the extended Cooper family, and the company's constitution and classes of shares makes it difficult to sell shares outside the family. Coopers is known for making a variety of high quality beers, the most famous of...
, all of the large breweries are now owned by the Australian company Foster's
Foster's Group
Foster's Group is a beer group with interests in brewing and soft drinks. Foster's Group is the brewer of the Foster's Lager. Foster's Group Limited is a publicly-listed company on the Australian Securities Exchange and is based in Melbourne, Victoria...
or Japanese-owned Lion Nathan
Lion Nathan
Lion Nathan National Foods is the parent company created in October 2009, into which Lion Nathan and National Foods were merged. It is fully owned by Kirin Holdings Company, Limited...
. Foster's Lager
Foster's Lager
Foster's Lager is an internationally distributed Australian brand of 5.0% abv pale lager, It is a product of Foster's Group brewed under licence in several countries, including the U.S. and Russia...
is made mostly for export or under licence in other countries, particularly the UK.
Market characteristics
Within an alcoholic beverage market worth some $16.3 billion, beer comprises about 48% compared to wine at 29% and spirits at 21%. Within the beer sector, premium beers have a 7.8% share of the market; full strength beer has 70.6%; mid-strength holds 12%; and light beer has 9.6%. 85% of beer is produced by national brewers, the remainder by regional or microbreweries. Microbreweries manufacturing less than 30,000 litres receive a 60% excise rebate.Early history
- Parts of this early history have been copied with permission from http://www.australianbeers.com
The history of Australian beer starts very early in Australia’s colonial history. Captain Cook
James Cook
Captain James Cook, FRS, RN was a British explorer, navigator and cartographer who ultimately rose to the rank of captain in the Royal Navy...
brought beer with him on his ship Endeavour as a means of preserving drinking water. On 1 August 1768 as Captain Cook was fitting out the Endeavour for its voyage, Nathaniel Hulme wrote to Joseph Banks
Joseph Banks
Sir Joseph Banks, 1st Baronet, GCB, PRS was an English naturalist, botanist and patron of the natural sciences. He took part in Captain James Cook's first great voyage . Banks is credited with the introduction to the Western world of eucalyptus, acacia, mimosa and the genus named after him,...
recommending that he take -
Beer was still being consumed on board 2 years later in 1770 when Cook was the first European to discover the east coast of Australia.
Although beer is now the most popular alcoholic drink in Australia, this was not always the case. The drink of choice for the first settlers and convicts was rum
Rum
Rum is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses, or directly from sugarcane juice, by a process of fermentation and distillation. The distillate, a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak barrels...
–
-
- Cut yer name across me backbone
- Stretch me skin across yer drum
- Iron me up on Pinchgut Island
- From now to Kingdom Come.
- I'll eat yer Norfolk Dumpling
- Like a juicy Spanish plum,
- Even dance the Newgate Hornpipe
- If ye'll only gimme Rum!
- Traditional Convict Song.
Rum was so popular, and official currency in such short supply, that for a time it became a semi-official currency (see Rum corps) and even led to a short-lived military coup, the Rum rebellion
Rum Rebellion
The Rum Rebellion of 1808 was the only successful armed takeover of government in Australia's history. The Governor of New South Wales, William Bligh, was deposed by the New South Wales Corps under the command of Major George Johnston, working closely with John Macarthur, on 26 January 1808, 20...
in 1808.
Drunkenness was an enormous problem in the early colony.
As a means of reducing drunkenness, beer was promoted as a safer and healthier alternative to rum.
The first (official) brewer in Australia was John Boston who brewed a beverage from Indian corn bittered with cape gooseberry
Physalis peruviana
Physalis peruviana is the plant and its fruit, also known as cape gooseberry , Inca berry, Aztec berry, golden berry, giant ground cherry, Peruvian groundcherry, Peruvian cherry , poha , ras bhari , aguaymanto , uvilla ,...
leaves. It is likely though that beer was brewed unofficially much earlier. The first pub, the Mason Arms was opened in 1796 in Parramatta
Parramatta, New South Wales
Parramatta is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located in Greater Western Sydney west of the Sydney central business district on the banks of the Parramatta River. Parramatta is the administrative seat of the Local Government Area of the City of Parramatta...
by James Larra, a freed convict.
It is worth noting here that although Australian beer today is predominantly lager, early Australian beer was exclusively top fermented and quick maturing ale
Ale
Ale is a type of beer brewed from malted barley using a warm fermentation with a strain of brewers' yeast. The yeast will ferment the beer quickly, giving it a sweet, full bodied and fruity taste...
s. Lager
Lager
Lager is a type of beer made from malted barley that is brewed and stored at low temperatures. There are many types of lager; pale lager is the most widely-consumed and commercially available style of beer in the world; Pilsner, Bock, Dortmunder Export and Märzen are all styles of lager...
was not brewed in Australia until 1885. Early beers were also brewed without the benefit of hops as no one had successfully cultivated them in Australia and importation was difficult. James Squire
James Squire
James Squire , a convict transported to Australia, is credited with the first successful cultivation of hops in Australia at the turn of the 19th century, and is also considered to have founded Australia's first commercial brewery in 1798, though John Boston appears to have opened a brewery making...
was the first to successfully cultivate hops in 1804. The Government Gazette from 1806 mentions that he was awarded a cow from the government herd for his efforts. Squire also opened a pub and brewed beer though an epitaph on a gravestone in Parramatta churchyard casts some doubt on the quality of the product –
-
- YE WHO WISH TO LIE HERE
- DRINK SQUIRE’S BEER!
In September 1804 a government owned brewery opened in Parramatta followed by a rival privately owned brewery 3 months later. The government brewery was sold 2 years later to Thomas Rushton who was its head brewer. That Parramatta brewery remains the only government run brewery ever operated in Australia. Brewing rapidly expanded in all the Australian colonies. By 1871 there were 126 breweries in Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
alone which at the time had a population of only 800,000.
Some notable events from this period include –
- 1824 – Peter Degraves starts the Cascade brewery in Tasmania. The brewery is still operating and is Australia’s oldest surviving brewery.
- 1835 – ToothTooth and Co.Tooth and Co. was the major brewer of beer in New South Wales, Australia. The company owned a large brewery on Broadway in Sydney from 1835 until 1985, known as the Kent Brewery...
brewery is established in SydneySydneySydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people... - 1836 – John Warren starts South Australia'sSouth AustraliaSouth Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
first brewery - 1837 – James Stokes establishes Western Australia'sWestern AustraliaWestern Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
first brewery. This later became the Emu brewery. - 1838 – Mr Moss establishes the first brewery in MelbourneMelbourneMelbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
. - 1862 – Thomas Cooper establishes the Coopers BreweryCoopers BreweryCoopers Brewery is an Australian beer company. Its shares are primarily owned by the extended Cooper family, and the company's constitution and classes of shares makes it difficult to sell shares outside the family. Coopers is known for making a variety of high quality beers, the most famous of...
. The brewery is still owned and operated by the Cooper family and is Australia’s largest independent brewery. - 1864 – Carlton brewery opens in Melbourne
- 1881 - CS Button opens the Esk Brewery (from 1883 taken over by James Boag & Son) in Launceston.
- 1885 – Gambrinus brewery in Melbourne becomes the first brewery in Australia to brew Lager.
- 1887 – The Foster brothers arrive from New York with refrigeration equipment and establish the first Lager brewery to use refrigeration in Australia.
- 1889 – Lager is first brewed in Queensland at the Castlemaine and Quinlan brewery.
By 1900 the number of breweries had begun to dwindle as a result of the recession of the 1890s. In 1901, just after Federation
Federalism in Australia
On 1 January 1901 the Australian nation emerged as a federation. The model of Australian federalism adheres closely to the original model of the United States of America.- Federal features in the Australian Constitution :...
, the new federal government passed the Beer and Excise act. This act regulated the making and selling of beer and made homebrewing illegal. The provisions in this act, regarded by many as draconian, lead to the closure of many breweries. 16 of Sydney’s 21 breweries closed either immediately after the act's introduction or soon afterwards. The remaining breweries began a process of consolidation with larger breweries buying out the smaller ones. Within a short time there were only 2 breweries remaining in Sydney – Tooths and Tooheys
Tooheys
Tooheys is a brewery in the suburb of Lidcombe, in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It produces beers under the Tooheys and Hahn trademarks, and is part of the New Zealand Lion Nathan beverages group.-History:...
. In Melbourne, 5 breweries merged in 1907 to form the giant Carlton and United Breweries.
This process continues today with only two companies – Lion Nathan
Lion Nathan
Lion Nathan National Foods is the parent company created in October 2009, into which Lion Nathan and National Foods were merged. It is fully owned by Kirin Holdings Company, Limited...
and the Foster's Group
Foster's Group
Foster's Group is a beer group with interests in brewing and soft drinks. Foster's Group is the brewer of the Foster's Lager. Foster's Group Limited is a publicly-listed company on the Australian Securities Exchange and is based in Melbourne, Victoria...
owning every major brewery in Australia with the exception of Coopers, which is still family owned and run; Boag's
Boag's Brewery
Boag's Brewery is an Australian brewery company founded in 1883 by James Boag and his son, also named James, in Launceston, Tasmania, Australia. It is now owned by Lion Nathan Ltd, a Trans-Tasman subsidiary company of Kirin....
, previously owned by San Miguel
San Miguel Corporation
Established in 1890 as a brewery, San Miguel Corporation is Southeast Asia's largest publicly listed food, beverage and packaging company with over 17,000 employees in over 100 major facilities throughout the Asia-Pacific....
, was sold to Lion Nathan in November 2007.
Brands by region
Before federation in 1901, Australia was a patchwork of separate colonies, each with different laws regulating the production and sale of alcohol. In addition, until the late 1880s when the rail networkHistory of rail transport in Australia
Following the British model, Australians generally assumed in the 1850s that railways would be built by the private sector . Private companies built railways in the then colonies of Victoria, opened in 1854, and New South Wales, where the company was taken-over by the government before completion...
began to link the capital cities together, the only means of transporting foods in bulk between the colonies was by sea. This prevented even the largest breweries from distributing significant amounts outside their home city. This allowed strong regional brands to emerge and although all but one of the major regional brands (Coopers
Coopers Brewery
Coopers Brewery is an Australian beer company. Its shares are primarily owned by the extended Cooper family, and the company's constitution and classes of shares makes it difficult to sell shares outside the family. Coopers is known for making a variety of high quality beers, the most famous of...
) are now owned by multinational companies, loyalty to the 'local' brewery remains strong today.
- New South WalesNew South WalesNew South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
: TooheysTooheysTooheys is a brewery in the suburb of Lidcombe, in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It produces beers under the Tooheys and Hahn trademarks, and is part of the New Zealand Lion Nathan beverages group.-History:...
, Reschs, HahnHahn BreweryHahn Brewery was established by Dr Charles "Chuck" Hahn in 1986 at an old factory site in the suburb of Camperdown in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
, James Squire and KB Lager - QueenslandQueenslandQueensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
: XXXXXXXXXXXX is a brand of Australian beer brewed in Milton, Brisbane by Queensland brewers, Castlemaine Perkins. It enjoys wide popularity in the state of Queensland, where it is commonly found on-tap in pubs and bars....
and Powers - South AustraliaSouth AustraliaSouth Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
: West End, Southwark and CoopersCoopers BreweryCoopers Brewery is an Australian beer company. Its shares are primarily owned by the extended Cooper family, and the company's constitution and classes of shares makes it difficult to sell shares outside the family. Coopers is known for making a variety of high quality beers, the most famous of... - TasmaniaTasmaniaTasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
: Boags in the north, CascadeCascade BreweryCascade Brewery is the oldest continually operating brewery in Australia. It is based in South Hobart, Tasmania. The Cascade estate was founded beside the clean water of the Hobart Rivulet in 1824 by Peter Degraves, an entrepreneur who emigrated from England...
in the south - VictoriaVictoria (Australia)Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
: Carlton DraughtCarlton DraughtCarlton Draught is a 4.6% pale lager made in Australia by Carlton & United Beverages.-Description:Carlton Draught is a pale lager which is sold on tap in its home state of Victoria as well as in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia, and is one of Australia's most...
, Victoria BitterVictoria BitterVictoria Bitter is one of the many iconic beers manufactured in the Australian state of Victoria. VB currently maintains the highest market share of all beer sold in Australia, both on tap and packaged...
and Melbourne BitterMelbourne BitterMelbourne Bitter is a beer brewed by Carlton & United Beverages, a subsidiary of Foster's Group. While originally having an ABV of 4.9%, it has since been reduced to 4.6% ABV. Melbourne bitter is available in 375 mL bottles "stubbies", 375 mL cans "tinnies" and 750 mL bottles... - Western AustraliaWestern AustraliaWestern Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
: SwanSwan BreweryThe Swan Brewery is a brewery located in Perth, Western Australia. It was founded in central Perth in 1837. From 1879, it occupied riverside premises below Mount Eliza, displacing an official "Aboriginal institution" which recognised traditional use of the land by indigenous people.The brewery...
and Emu
In recent years, mixing of beer tastes due to a more mobile population, major campaigns by the larger breweries to spread their brands outside their home state and the growth of the ‘premium’ beer market have started to erode the traditional loyalties. Despite this, the brand loyalties are still strong with only Tooheys and Victoria Bitter gaining any significant market share outside their home state. The premium beer market does not follow the state loyalties with the major premium brands being available nationwide.
The Brewery on the external Australian territory of Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island
Norfolk Island is a small island in the Pacific Ocean located between Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia. The island is part of the Commonwealth of Australia, but it enjoys a large degree of self-governance...
is one of few places left to brew and sell cask-conditioned ale
Cask ale
Cask ale or cask-conditioned beer is the term for unfiltered and unpasteurised beer which is conditioned and served from a cask without additional nitrogen or carbon dioxide pressure...
. Its varieties include Bee Sting (a bright ale), Mutineer (similar to a British bitter) and Bligh's Revenge (a dark ale).
Australian stouts
While the overwhelming proportion of beer produced is lager (approximately 95%), dark beers and stoutStout
Stout is a dark beer made using roasted malt or barley, hops, water and yeast. Stouts were traditionally the generic term for the strongest or stoutest porters, typically 7% or 8%, produced by a brewery....
are still made.
Guinness
Guinness
Guinness is a popular Irish dry stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at St. James's Gate, Dublin. Guinness is directly descended from the porter style that originated in London in the early 18th century and is one of the most successful beer brands worldwide, brewed in almost...
has a strong following in many states, based on the growth of Irish theme pubs and the Irish roots of many Australians, and is increasingly available on tap. Guinness made and sold in Australia is around 6%, considerably stronger than that in Ireland and Britain.
In general, despite the fact that most Stouts are produced by Australia-wide combines, they are not readily available beyond their State of origin, nor are they aggressively promoted even within their own region. As a result of this lack of commercial promotion, they may not be well known even within Australia, let alone internationally.
Most of these varieties claim to be made by “traditional” methods, using quality ingredients.
- Abbotsford Invalid Stout (Vic)
- Cascade Special Stout (Tas)
- Coopers Best Extra Stout (SA)
- Sheaf Stout (NSW)
- Southwark Stout (SA)
- Special Old Stout (SA)
- Swan Stout ( WA)
- Black Bart Stout
- Colonial Mild Irish Stout
- Ebony Stout
- Flanagans
- Grumpy’s Heysen Scottish Oatmeal Stout (SA)
- Hatlifter Stout
- Iron Bark Amber Stout
- Mountain Goat Surefoot Stout
- Oxford Black
- Russian Imperial Stout
- SCB Extra Stout
- Swan Valley Stout
- Velvet Cream Stout
- The Craic (James Squires)
Speciality beers
Particularly in the cosmopolitanCosmopolitanism
Cosmopolitanism is the ideology that all human ethnic groups belong to a single community based on a shared morality. This is contrasted with communitarian and particularistic theories, especially the ideas of patriotism and nationalism...
areas of the major cities, speciality brews produced by major brewers and by microbreweries
Microbrewery
A microbrewery or craft brewer is a brewery which produces a limited amount of beer, and is associated by consumers with innovation and uniqueness....
, including a wide variety of ales, are increasing in popularity, as are many foreign beers.
Innumerable microbreweries have taken root across the country, many in small towns. The availability of many such beers on tap is often limited to establishments with independent management. While many of these companies choose to feature subversive brand names, this is not an exclusively Australian characteristic, as some US and Canadian microbreweries use the same marketing strategy.
Brewed under licence
In recent years imported premium beers have started to gain market share in Australia. The two Australian corporate brewers responded to this by signing licence agreements with foreign brands to brew their beers here. Foster's GroupFoster's Group
Foster's Group is a beer group with interests in brewing and soft drinks. Foster's Group is the brewer of the Foster's Lager. Foster's Group Limited is a publicly-listed company on the Australian Securities Exchange and is based in Melbourne, Victoria...
brews Guinness
Guinness
Guinness is a popular Irish dry stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at St. James's Gate, Dublin. Guinness is directly descended from the porter style that originated in London in the early 18th century and is one of the most successful beer brands worldwide, brewed in almost...
, Stella Artois
Stella Artois
Stella Artois is a 5% ABV lager brewed in Leuven, Belgium since 1926. In the UK, Canada and New Zealand a 4% ABV version is also available.-Production:...
, Kronenbourg and Carlsberg in Australia; while Lion Nathan
Lion Nathan
Lion Nathan National Foods is the parent company created in October 2009, into which Lion Nathan and National Foods were merged. It is fully owned by Kirin Holdings Company, Limited...
locally produces Heineken
Heineken Pilsener
Heineken is a Dutch beer which has been brewed by Heineken International since 1873. It is available in a 4.6% alcohol variety in countries such as Ireland. It is the flagship product of the Heineken company and is made of purified water, malted barley, hops, and yeast. In 1886 H...
, Beck's
Beck's
Brauerei Beck & Co is a German brewery in the north German city of Bremen. Owned by local families until February 2002, it was then sold to Interbrew for 1.8 billion euros. The brewery was formed under the name Kaiserbrauerei Beck & May o.H.G. in 1873 by Lüder Rutenberg, Heinrich Beck and Thomas...
and Kirin
Kirin Brewery Company
is a Japanese company. It is a member of the Mitsubishi keiretsu.-Overview:Kirin sells two of the most popular beers in Japan, Kirin Lager--the country's oldest beer brand--and Ichiban Shibori. In the happoshu category, Kirin Tanrei is the top seller. Kirin handles domestic distribution for...
. Brewers claim that their locally produced product tastes better because it is fresher; and that their local operations are carried out under strict guidelines overseen by the parent brewers. However groups such as the Australian Consumers Association
Australian Consumers Association
The Australian Consumers’ Association, which trades as CHOICE, is an Australian not for profit consumer organisation. It is a non-partisan organisation that was founded in 1959 which researches and campaigns on behalf of Australian consumers...
say that such beers should have clearer, more prominent labels to inform drinkers.
Beer glasses
There are different names for different sized beer glasses in each state. As young Australians travel more, the differences are decreasing. Most pubs of the 2000s no longer have a glass smaller than 285 ml (10 imp fl ozFluid ounce
A fluid ounce is a unit of volume equal to about 28.4 mL in the imperial system or about 29.6 mL in the US system. The fluid ounce is distinct from the ounce, which measures mass...
). Many pubs outside of Victoria now have pints (570 ml or 20 imp fl oz), possibly because of the popularity of themed Irish pubs in Australia, which have always used pints.
Many imported beers will be served in their own branded glasses of various sizes, including 330 millilitre (2.970029700297E-08 imp fl oz) for many European lagers, and 250 millilitre (2.250022500225E-08 imp fl oz) for Hoegaarden White.
A request for a "Pot of Gold" may sound like a joke, but in Brisbane it is a valid order of a 285 ml glass of XXXX Gold
XXXX
XXXX is a brand of Australian beer brewed in Milton, Brisbane by Queensland brewers, Castlemaine Perkins. It enjoys wide popularity in the state of Queensland, where it is commonly found on-tap in pubs and bars....
.
Until relatively recently, there were no Australia-wide standard measures for serving beer.
South Australia in particular used two unusual measures, these are :
- 255 ml (9 fl oz) known as a "schooner"
- 425 ml (15 fl oz) known as a "pint"
Note that the SA "schooner" is considerably smaller than the measure of the same name elsewhere, as is the SA "pint"; the 425 ml (15 imp fl oz) "pint" is 0.75 imperial pint.
Usage and understanding of these names is now generally restricted to people born before about 1960. (i.e. "Baby Boomers" and before.) In contemporary SA pubs and restaurants, the most frequent measure is now the up-sized "schooner" of 285 ml, (an "imperial half pint"), while "imperial pints" are also popular, particularly in bohemian, artistic and "theme" venues such as "British" and "Irish" pubs.
Beer bottles
Coopers Brewery
Coopers Brewery is an Australian beer company. Its shares are primarily owned by the extended Cooper family, and the company's constitution and classes of shares makes it difficult to sell shares outside the family. Coopers is known for making a variety of high quality beers, the most famous of...
750 ml), breweries are reintroducing refillable bottles. In South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
, mandatory deposits on beer bottles and some other types of beverage containers support a well established network of recycling centres, providing significant environmental benefits as well as generating employment opportunities for unskilled workers.
External links
- http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/aussiebeers/id371077194?mt=8, Aussie Beers iPhone App
- Beer Guide, spakatak.com
- All About Australian Beer, The Aussie Beer Baron
- Your guide to Australian beers, AustralianBeers.com
- Australian beer info, brew.com.au
- Beer Guide (Australia), beerguide.com.au
- Vegetarian Beers in Australia, Vegetarian Network Victoria, vnv.org.au