Coopers Brewery
Encyclopedia
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 beer
s, the most famous of which is its Sparkling Ale. It is also well established as a producer of home brew supplies and is one of the world's largest producers of home brew ingredients.
was established by Thomas Cooper in 1862 at his home in the Adelaide
suburb of Norwood, South Australia
. In 1881 it relocated to larger, commercial facilities at Leabrook
, and in 2001 it relocated to much larger premises at Regency Park
.
The traditional South Australian market leader was the South Australian Brewing Company. In the 1930s, when Coopers were suffering from the effects of the Great Depression, SA Brewing and Coopers did a share swap. SA Brewing Holdings subsequently diversified into manufacturing and wine, and then refocused to form Southcorp, Southcorp Wines, and SA Brewing. SA Brewing, and its Coopers part ownership were acquired by trans-Tasman Lion Nathan, and subsequently by the Japanese Kirin conglomerate.
. In 2004 the company introduced the first naturally conditioned beer in an aluminum can, Dr Tim's Traditional Ale, which was named after him.
The majority of rest of the Cooper's Board of Directors is also made up of fourth and fifth generation family members. Fourth generation family member and director Max Cooper, and Glenn, were the focus of the television advertising campaign for the initial release of Coopers Dark Ale.
based cogeneration
plant to supply steam
and electric power
requirements. Fired with natural gas
with a thermal efficiency
of 80%, the $6.2 million plant produces power with a 90% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to a separate electricity generation and steam production plant. The plant is operated by AGL Energy
and is rated at 4.4MW
. Generation above the brewery's electrical load of 1.2MW is fed back into the grid.
made an unsolicited takeover bid for Coopers, which was strongly opposed by Coopers' management, and ultimately rejected at an Extraordinary General Meeting when 93.4% of the shareholders voted in favour of permanently removing the 3rd tier purchasing rights of Lion Nathan, effectively preventing any current or future takeover bid. Coopers therefore remains the only wholly Australian-owned major brewery, as Lion Nathan is now wholly owned by Kirin, and Fosters
is 19.9% owned by Asahi Breweries
.
Coopers bottled beers are characterised by their secondary fermentation technique - some yeast remains in the bottle after bottling - thus the bottled beer contains some sediment. There are two schools of thought with regard to the sediment - some drinkers like to mix the sediment throughout the beer by tipping or rolling the beer before drinking, while others prefer to decant the beer into a glass leaving (most of) the sediment at the base of the bottle. Coopers have made such choice a strong element in their marketing strategy. Some find that mixing the sediment results in a shaken beer and prefer not to mix the sediment at all, simply opening the bottle and drinking. The action of drinking from the bottle serves to distribute the sediment anyway without shaking ones beer up.
Coopers also produce a large range of homebrew kits. Amongst these are, English Bitter, Dark Ale, Real Ale and Lager, as well as several others. Coopers homebrew kits provide the starting place for many new homebrewers across the world and are a highly successful brand.
These beers were made at one point in time, but have since been dropped from production due to poor sales or the release of replacement products
The company also produces a range of malt extracts and concentrate for homebrewers
.
Australian beer
Beer arrived in Australia at the beginning of British colonisation. 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...
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 beer
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...
s, the most famous of which is its Sparkling Ale. It is also well established as a producer of home brew supplies and is one of the world's largest producers of home brew ingredients.
History
The breweryBrewery
A brewery is a dedicated building for the making of beer, though beer can be made at home, and has been for much of beer's history. A company which makes beer is called either a brewery or a brewing company....
was established by Thomas Cooper in 1862 at his home in the Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
suburb of Norwood, South Australia
Norwood, South Australia
Norwood is a suburb of Adelaide, about 4 km east of the Adelaide city centre. The suburb is in the City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters, the oldest South Australian local government municipality, with a city population over 34,000.-History:...
. In 1881 it relocated to larger, commercial facilities at Leabrook
Leabrook, South Australia
Leabrook is a suburb of Adelaide, South Australia in the City of Burnside.It is a primarily residential suburb in eastern Adelaide, and was the site of Coopers Brewery, until its relocation to Regency Park, South Australia.-References:...
, and in 2001 it relocated to much larger premises at Regency Park
Regency Park, South Australia
Regency Park is an inner-northern suburb of Adelaide, 8km from the City Centre, in the state of South Australia, Australia. It is located in the City of Port Adelaide Enfield, and is adjacent to Wingfield, Angle Park, Ferryden Park, Kilburn, Prospect, Dudley Park and Croydon Park...
.
The traditional South Australian market leader was the South Australian Brewing Company. In the 1930s, when Coopers were suffering from the effects of the Great Depression, SA Brewing and Coopers did a share swap. SA Brewing Holdings subsequently diversified into manufacturing and wine, and then refocused to form Southcorp, Southcorp Wines, and SA Brewing. SA Brewing, and its Coopers part ownership were acquired by trans-Tasman Lion Nathan, and subsequently by the Japanese Kirin conglomerate.
Tim Cooper
Dr Tim Cooper MB BS MD MSc MBA, the brewery's Managing Director and Chief Brewer, is a fifth generation family member. Tim entered the family business in 1990 after training as a medical doctor and surgeon. He gained qualifications in medicine ((MB BS, Adelaide), (MD, Bristol)), before acquiring qualifications in brewing science (MSc, Birmingham) and business administration (MBA, Adelaide). Tim was responsible for, and was the driving force behind, the design and construction of the new brewery development in Regency ParkRegency Park, South Australia
Regency Park is an inner-northern suburb of Adelaide, 8km from the City Centre, in the state of South Australia, Australia. It is located in the City of Port Adelaide Enfield, and is adjacent to Wingfield, Angle Park, Ferryden Park, Kilburn, Prospect, Dudley Park and Croydon Park...
. In 2004 the company introduced the first naturally conditioned beer in an aluminum can, Dr Tim's Traditional Ale, which was named after him.
Glenn Cooper
The company's Chairman, Glenn Cooper, is also a fifth generation family member and the cousin of Tim. He entered the business in 1990, having previously worked in IT and marketing roles for both Anderson Digital Equipment and his own Adelaide-based business. Glenn is credited with the highly successful marketing campaign which has increased the market share of Cooper's beers from well below, to well above, that of historical South Australian market leader "West End".The majority of rest of the Cooper's Board of Directors is also made up of fourth and fifth generation family members. Fourth generation family member and director Max Cooper, and Glenn, were the focus of the television advertising campaign for the initial release of Coopers Dark Ale.
Regency Park Facility
Since 2003, the Regency Park brewery has used a gas turbineGas turbine
A gas turbine, also called a combustion turbine, is a type of internal combustion engine. It has an upstream rotating compressor coupled to a downstream turbine, and a combustion chamber in-between....
based cogeneration
Cogeneration
Cogeneration is the use of a heat engine or a power station to simultaneously generate both electricity and useful heat....
plant to supply steam
Steam
Steam is the technical term for water vapor, the gaseous phase of water, which is formed when water boils. In common language it is often used to refer to the visible mist of water droplets formed as this water vapor condenses in the presence of cooler air...
and electric power
Electric power
Electric power is the rate at which electric energy is transferred by an electric circuit. The SI unit of power is the watt.-Circuits:Electric power, like mechanical power, is represented by the letter P in electrical equations...
requirements. Fired with natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
with a thermal efficiency
Thermal efficiency
In thermodynamics, the thermal efficiency is a dimensionless performance measure of a device that uses thermal energy, such as an internal combustion engine, a boiler, a furnace, or a refrigerator for example.-Overview:...
of 80%, the $6.2 million plant produces power with a 90% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to a separate electricity generation and steam production plant. The plant is operated by AGL Energy
AGL Energy
AGL Energy is the largest Australian gas and electricity retailer, with over six million customers. It has large investments in the supply of gas and electricity, and has recently invested in sustainable energy businesses such as wind farms and a hydroelectric power station in Victoria’s High...
and is rated at 4.4MW
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
. Generation above the brewery's electrical load of 1.2MW is fed back into the grid.
Lion Nathan
In late 2005, part-owner Lion NathanLion 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...
made an unsolicited takeover bid for Coopers, which was strongly opposed by Coopers' management, and ultimately rejected at an Extraordinary General Meeting when 93.4% of the shareholders voted in favour of permanently removing the 3rd tier purchasing rights of Lion Nathan, effectively preventing any current or future takeover bid. Coopers therefore remains the only wholly Australian-owned major brewery, as Lion Nathan is now wholly owned by Kirin, and Fosters
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...
is 19.9% owned by Asahi Breweries
Asahi Breweries
Asahi Breweries, Ltd. is a leading brewery and soft drink company based in Tokyo, Japan. The company has a 40% share of the Japanese beer market....
.
Beers
Coopers beers are widely available on tap in South Australia and Victoria, and in some bars in the rest of Australia as speciality beers. They are widely available in bottles and (to a lesser extent) cans around Australia and New Zealand, and occasionally at specialist importers in other countries. The distribution of the beers outside of South Australia has been largely promoted since 2003 by the subsidiary Premium Beverages Pty. Ltd.Coopers bottled beers are characterised by their secondary fermentation technique - some yeast remains in the bottle after bottling - thus the bottled beer contains some sediment. There are two schools of thought with regard to the sediment - some drinkers like to mix the sediment throughout the beer by tipping or rolling the beer before drinking, while others prefer to decant the beer into a glass leaving (most of) the sediment at the base of the bottle. Coopers have made such choice a strong element in their marketing strategy. Some find that mixing the sediment results in a shaken beer and prefer not to mix the sediment at all, simply opening the bottle and drinking. The action of drinking from the bottle serves to distribute the sediment anyway without shaking ones beer up.
Coopers also produce a large range of homebrew kits. Amongst these are, English Bitter, Dark Ale, Real Ale and Lager, as well as several others. Coopers homebrew kits provide the starting place for many new homebrewers across the world and are a highly successful brand.
| Coopers Beers | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beer | ABV Alcohol by volume Alcohol by volume is a standard measure of how much alcohol is contained in an alcoholic beverage .The ABV standard is used worldwide.... |
Available | Label Colour | Details | ||
| Tap | Bottle | Can | ||||
| Sparkling Ale | 5.8% | Y | Y | - | Red | An English style golden ale. It has a distinctive cloudy appearance due to the sediment being left in the bottle. The Sparkling Ale has a slightly different flavour and higher alcoholic content than the Pale Ale. |
| Pale Ale | 4.5% | Y | Y | - | Green | A pale ale Pale ale Pale ale is a beer which uses a warm fermentation and predominantly pale malt. It is one of the world's major beer styles.The higher proportion of pale malts results in a lighter colour. The term "pale ale" was being applied around 1703 for beers made from malts dried with coke, which resulted in a... . |
| Best Extra Stout | 6.3% | Y | Y | - | Yellow | A stout Stout 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.... . |
| Dark Ale | 4.5% | Y | Y | - | Brown | |
| Mild Ale | 3.5% | Y | Y | Y | Orange | A Midstrength Ale. Coopers entry into the lager dominated mid-strength market. |
| Premium Lager | 5.0% | Y | Y | - | Green | |
| 62 Pilsner | 5.0% | Y | Y | - | Black (neck only) |
|
| Premium Light | 2.9% | Y | Y | Y | Blue | |
| Clear | 4.5% | Y | Y | Y | Gold | A full strength low carbohydrate dry beer |
| Extra Strong Vintage Ale | 7.5% | Y | Y | - | Cream | An English Strong Ale |
| Birell | 0.5% | - | Y | Y | White | A non-alcoholic lager style beer. |
| Dr. Tim's Traditional Ale | 4.5% | - | - | Y | Green | A pale ale Pale ale Pale ale is a beer which uses a warm fermentation and predominantly pale malt. It is one of the world's major beer styles.The higher proportion of pale malts results in a lighter colour. The term "pale ale" was being applied around 1703 for beers made from malts dried with coke, which resulted in a... naturally conditioned in an Aluminium Can |
These beers were made at one point in time, but have since been dropped from production due to poor sales or the release of replacement products
- Coopers Regency Draught
- Coopers Regency Light
- Coopers DB
- Thomas Coopers Finest Export Ale
- Coopers Premium Ale
- Coopers Clear Ale
- Coopers Black Crow
- Coopers Adelaide Bitter
- Coopers Heritage
- Coopers Special Old Stout
The company also produces a range of malt extracts and concentrate for homebrewers
Homebrewing
Homebrewing is the brewing of beer, wine, sake, mead, cider, perry and other beverages through fermentation on a small scale as a hobby for personal consumption, free distribution at social gatherings, amateur brewing competitions or other non-commercial reasons...
.
See also
- List of breweries in Australia
- South Australian food and drink